


Poor Unfortunate Souls

by glindalovesshoes



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Graham is a wolf, Happy halloween, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, do not trust anyone, insane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-04-29 04:57:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5116433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glindalovesshoes/pseuds/glindalovesshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Former prisoner Robin Locksley is released on parole and has to do 9 months of community service at "Mist Haven - Asylum for the Insane". As he grows closer with some of the residents, especially a young disturbed woman named Regina, mysterious incidents happen in the castle - Nothing is as it seems and it soon turns out the residents aren't the insane ones after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Misthaven

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you'll enjoy dressing up and going to various parties tonight. I hope you'll enjoy my new story also. It's slightly creepy, crazy and just fits well with the scary Halloween angle. I'll porbably update this story once a month since my main focus is on my Bachelorette AU "Roses Are Red". Thanks to the wonderful waterbaby for betaing.  
> Now... are you ready for Mist Haven - Asylum for the Insane?!

Poor Unfortunate Souls

 

Robin Locksley swallowed hard when the black cab with the grumpy driver held at the end of the long driveway, in front of a tall iron gate with sharp peaks, which made it impossible to climb. The area was surrounded by an at least six meters high red brick wall which was picked with barbed wire to keep anyone but the birds out, but more importantly, keep everyone from the inside in. His mouth went incredibly dry at the thought that this would be his home for the next nine months.

Without another word, he handed the money over to the driver who'd refused to drive him any further up. "I'm not crazy!" was what he'd said and chuckled at the joke. Robin hadn't been able to laugh at all. It was his own fault. He had it coming when five years ago he'd come to the conclusion robbing a bank would solve his family's problems. Turned out it didn't and now he was paying the price. His wife was dead, killed in the car accident of their getaway car, which had been initiated by the police force to stop their escape through London and he'd just been released from four years of prison due to good behavior, with the condition to do work at a social institution for the rest of the year. Robin got out of the cab, shouldering the brown duffle bag with the few belongings he still owned after four years of prison. It wasn't much - a few shirts, another pair of shoes, their wedding picture and a little money, not to forget the letter he'd gotten from the judge to give to the head of the institution.

 _From one prison into another_ , was what he thought when he looked up at the brass plate with bold black letters. " _Mist Haven - Asylum for the Insane"_. A cold chill ran down his spine, the uneasiness he felt the whole way up here finally catching up with him. There was no turning back now. _Nine months,_ he thought, _nine months and you're free. Then you can go wherever you want - if you don't become one of them first._ Taking a deep breath, Robin gripped the strap of his duffle bag tighter and walked over to the gatekeeper who looked into today's newspaper. He actually had to clear his throat before the man put the newspaper down and eyed him suspiciously.

"Visitation is Sundays from three to five only." Without another glance he put his newspaper back up with a roll of his eyes, dismissing the newly arrived man completely.

Robin sighed, knowing he was off to a great start with the staff of this facility. "Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but I'm not here for a visit."

"You're here for treatment? Why didn't you say so?! I'll get the straitjacket right away."

His eyes widened in shock when the gatekeeper grabbed for the listener. "Sir, my name is Robin Locksley, I'm here for my community service." Quickly, the blonde man fished for the letter inside his duffle bag and held it out to the gate keeper, his finger pointing frantically at the line where the judge signed. The gatekeeper grumbled something before he reached out for the letter, his eyes darting over but not really reading it. Finally he handed it back to Robin who let out a relieved huff before he stepped out of his little chamber, a bunch of keys in his right hand. He fiddled a while before he found the right one, and then opened a smaller door, which was embedded into the gate for him.

"The institution is right this way. Can't miss it if you stay on the path. I'll call for someone to greet you at the entrance. Don't talk to anyone in a straitjacket or without a nametag. Welcome to Mist Haven, Mr. Locksley." Robin stepped through the gate, flinching when he heard it slam closed, the noise of the key locking behind him was like freedom telling him goodbye once and for all.

The first kilometer of the road up the hill lead through a mixed forest that made Robin feel more uneasy with every step he made. This wasn't like the forests he knew with bright light breaking through the treetops while birds sang their lovely tunes. This forest was dark, silent. Finally, after a good twenty minutes of walking, the trees thinned out and gave away to a wide green meadow that surrounded the building of the asylum. Robin stopped short in his tracks, taking in the castle-like building in front of him. It was built out of dark grey stone with a roof made of black tiles. There was one tall round tower at every corner of the building, its sharp tipped roofs cutting into the blue sky like a knife. Parts of the grey stone were covered with poisonous looking green ivy that ranked up to the grand windows. Those were scattered across three floors in a symmetric pattern that would have given the castle a romantic atmosphere if it weren't for the black iron bars in front of them - probably a precaution to keep the patients from jumping out. For the umpteenth time today, a chill ran down Robin's back. It didn't matter spring had taken over from winter in the rest of the country. The building sent out rays of cold even the warm beams of sunlight couldn't chase away. The meadows should be overflowing with snowbells and crocuses, however none of them seemed to dare to come out in the shadow of the castle.

Robin let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding before he continued his way up the path, which led him to the front of the asylum. He'd expected another gate and now a grand staircase with an imposing banister, accompanied by two mystical looking creatures that seemed to keep guard. Coming closer, Robin recognized one of them as a vischap, a mixture of a dragon and snake, while the other reminded him of a Pegasus with a lion head. Interesting choice of animals to guard an asylum for the insane. The staircase lead up to winged double doors made out of massive wood with aesthetic carvings and ironwork. Just when he debated whether to knock or simply wait, one half of the door opened and a man dressed in white scrubs stepped out. He looked around, his face crackling into a smile when he noticed Robin.

"Good afternoon, you must be...?"

Robin straightened his posture, forcing a smile on his face. "Robin Locksley, I'm here for..."

"Ah, yes, yes!" The man waved his hand in dismissal before he stepped outside fully to shake Robin's outstretched hand. "I'm Dr. Whale. Welcome to _Mist Haven_. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us. I just have one advice for you - don't go insane!" Whale laughed out loud, beating his tight in doing so. His laughter sounded a bit too insane for Robin's taste and he wondered whether the caretakers became just as insane as the patients with the time.

"Victor!" A female voice hissed accusingly. "I've been looking all over for you. You're supposed to be in your study taking a look at the patients' reports, remember? Oh... who do we have here?" The small woman with long dark brown curls and blue eyes beamed up to him. Her smile was the first warm thing Robin encountered since he set foot on this property, so he moved his seemingly frozen face muscles into a smile. She was wearing a dark blue convent uniform, her name sewn into the fabric of her left breast. _Belle_.

"I'm Robin Locksley. I'm here for community service - the guard down at the gate told me he'd call up here and announce me...?"

Belle's warm smile grew irritated for the fraction of a moment but she quickly dismissed it. "Oh I didn't know you'd be here today. Mother Superior told me we would be expecting a new face but not exactly when. Never mind. I'm Belle. Welcome to Mist Haven, Robin. As I can see you've already met one of our patients?"

Robin's eyes flew to Whale who was scribbling down notes on a worn out notepad with a less than sharp pencil. "He's... not a doctor?"

Belle laughed wholeheartedly before she patted Whale's shoulder protectively. "Oh he's a doctor... in his head." She winked and tapped against her own head with her forefinger. "He's harmless, don't worry. Sometimes he's trying to tell you you're suffering from invented diseases you can only cure by killing yourself but otherwise he's fine as long as he can sit in his study and go through old patients' files. Just never make the mistake of giving him something sharp like a knife or needle or he'll slit you open and perform an emergency operation on you. That's why he was removed from medical school and brought here. Right, Victor?"

"I cannot deal with this right now, I have patients to see!" Whale announced, suddenly ripped out of his thoughts. He threw a last glance at Robin, his gaze growing serious. "You should come and visit me soon, Mr. Locksley. I dare say I see the symptoms of calahicumaniasclerosis on your fair skin." He nodded toward Belle before he vanished inside.

Robin watched him leave both, his eyes and mouth wide open. "Calahicu-what?!"

"Be glad it's not trympherialis agrobolnica. He diagnosed me years ago and according to him I should be long dead by now." Despite everything Belle laughed, shaking her head at the thought of the crazy diseases Victor Whale came up with. He would have become a good doctor if he weren't crazy.

"You were serious about the sharp things, right?" Belle nodded seriously. "How do I know what you say is true and you're not a crazy patient yourself?"

"Watch out for the clothing. Our patients were white or light blue while the sisters wear their convent clothing and the other ones wear dark blue or black. You'll get your own stack of clothing soon. Another hint is the eyes. Almost all our patients are on medication and you can see from the dilation of pupils whether someone is sane or not. I'm sure you'll figure it out quick once you settle in. I'll guide you to Mother Superior's office now so you can introduce yourself to her. Once again welcome to _Mist Haven_ , Robin."

Belle turned around and led him through the great wooden doors inside the asylum. Yeah. Welcome to the insane.

Xxxxx

Mother Superior's office wasn't far from the main entrance. Belle lead him down two corridors and then two stairs, babbling on about how she would be late for her group reading lesson with the patients if she didn't hurry. Robin tried hard to listen but he was a bit awestruck by the fascinating architecture of the building with its tall hallways and grand staircases. Once upon a time there must have been old knights' armors and weapons decorating the hallways however apart from a few pictures, everything had been removed due to safety risks for the patients. Except Dr. Whale - no, Victor, the man's name was Victor - he hadn't seen or heard anyone. This was good, right? It meant the patients were all peaceful. No one was being tortured or used for experiments like in Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein.

A bark from the far end of the hallway made Robin look up, but what he saw wasn't what he expected. A grown man - from what he could tell he must be in his mid thirties - came running over to Belle on all fours. He was unexpectedly fast, his tongue dripping with saliva hanging out of his mouth. He bumped against Belle's leg with his head, sitting back on his feet, his hands raised up to his chest like a dog begging for a treat. Belle let out a laugh and to Robin's horror, started to pet the man's head, ruffling his hair as if he really was a dog.

"There you are. I was wondering when you would come and find us. You smelled our new friend here, didn't you?" The man's eyes shot over to Robin, eyeing him suspiciously. "Robin, may I introduce the two of you? Robin, this is Graham, Graham, this is Robin." Graham growled at him, showing his teeth. "Shush, Graham, Robin is a friend. Go along, Robin, let him sniff you so he can pick up your scent."

"You're serious," he mumbled after eyeing Belle as if she'd grown a second head. He knelt down on one knee, feeling slightly ridiculous when he held his hand out for the man, dog, Graham - whatever - to sniff. Graham's forest green eyes took him in for a long moment, before he leaned forward to sniff at Robin's hand. When he'd apparently found Robin posed no threat to him or Belle, he actually bumped his head against Robin's hand, waiting to be pet. With certain reluctance in his movements, the blond ruffled Graham's head, who let out a pleased howl and took off.

"He's a good guy," Belle explained quietly. "They found him in the forest years ago. Someone must have abandoned him as a child and a family of wolves took him in and raised him as one of their own. It's an amazing story, when you think about how Mother Nature took him in and cared for him in her own way - a man raised by wolves, just like something right out of a fairytale. However when people found and captured him, they tried to turn him into a human. They tried to teach him language, to teach him manners, they... experimented with him." Belle's voice trembled and for a second Robin felt like hugging her. "They put him here when he killed one of the men who was about to cut his head open to take a good long look at his brain while Graham was fully conscious. They wanted to see which part of his brain is responsible for him thinking he's a wolf. It's a horrible story, really. At first he trusted no one when he came here. We had to keep him in a cell the whole time since he attacked people who came too close to him. It's no wonder with everything he's been through."

"How did he change?" Robin wanted to know. The thought of mad scientists using someone such as Graham who'd suffered so much in life as their Guinea Pig was sickening. He wondered if it was really Graham or rather them who belonged into an asylum.

"Ruby."

"Is she a dog... wolf, too?"

Belle's lips cracked into a smile. "Actually she thinks she's a werewolf... I don't really see the difference. She's actually a very nice girl if it weren't for her problems concerning the moon phases. She's not dangerous if you leave her alone. It was her who talked to Graham, who kind of... tamed him. He first became amicable with her, then a few others. Once he realized the people here wouldn't hurt him, he calmed down and soon we could leave him running around. He's taken quite a bit to a few of the patients here. I've heard rumors he actually started talking to a few of them but you can never be sure about the rumors here. I mean I know he understands us, but I don't know to which degree. It doesn't matter. Everyone here likes Graham and accepts him for what he is. So now he's something like our pet wolf... if you know what I mean."

"I'm trying to wrap my head around all this," he admitted with a chuckle.

"It's a lot to swallow on your first day, believe me when I first came here I wanted to run back home after less than a week of service. That is until I got to know our patients. You know, people call this an asylum for the insane however I think this is a place for the people that are simply misunderstood. No one here is evil, no one here is crazy, of course, some are more dangerous than others but I like to believe they're just... their own version of themselves. They're still people."

"Or wolves," Robin added dryly, which made Belle laugh out loud. _She has a good heart_ , Robin thought smiling, admiring her for her fearlessness.

"Yes. Or wolves, werewolves, doctors, beasts... You'll get to the root of things after a while. If you'll excuse me, I must hurry now. My reading lesson in the library begins in five minutes. Mother Superior's office is right over there, you can't miss it. I'll see you later, Robin!" With this she hurried off, leaving Robin alone with his thoughts and new impressions.

Xxxxx

Mother Superior's office was a far cry from what Robin even could have imagined judging from the rest of the castle. The room - well it wasn't a simple room, it felt more like a grand ballroom with dark oak timber parquet, tall windows with thick red goblins - probably the only windows in the whole castle without iron bars in front of them, which made the view even more spectacular - and a blood red carpet which lead up to a solid wooden desk at the end of the room. An electric crystal chandelier was hanging from the painted ceiling, which, combined with the afternoon sun, was dipping the room into a golden light. The paintings on the walls showed long gone owners of the castle and the books in the up to the ceiling reaching bookshelf behind the desk looked so old some of them must be still handwritten. Robin stood there, dumbfounded at the sight in front of him.

"May I help you?" a soft voice asked helpfully.

Only then did Robin notice the thin woman behind the desk. She was wearing the same convent uniform as Belle only that it seemed to be made out of a much more expensive fabric than the other one he'd seen. She was also wearing a rosary around her neck that was made out of pink colored pearls. Her hair was done in a neat bun. He'd expected an older woman to greet him, but this woman seemed quite young to be called Mother Superior. Robin stepped closer - it took him quite a few steps until he finally reached the desk. This close, it seemed even heavier than from the other side of the hall. Still, Mother Superior gazed at him with such authority; she filled out her place behind the desk nicely.

Robin greeted her politely before he handed over the letter from the judge. "I'm Robin Locksley, I'm here to..."

"The man from Sherwood Prison," Mother Superior stated. She didn't smile at him instead she gestured at the chair to his right for him to sit down. He sat down in the chair, noticing how hard the leather was. Apparently Mother Superior didn't want people to get comfortable and stay for longer than necessary.

"Yes... That would be me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help here."

"Very well, Mr. Locksley. Tell me, why did you go to prison?" Of all questions he hadn't expected that one.

"Uhm... Have you not read my file?" Surely she must have read it; otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to take him in, right? He didn't know his file, didn't know what twisted truths darkened his criminal record - he knew for sure the investigating officer, Nottingham, had fought a personal vendetta against him, had not shown a pinch of mercy after Robin had lost his wife. Yes, he'd been driving the car, but if Nottingham hadn't opened fire on them... Marian would be still alive.

"I have read your file, Mr. Locksley, but I would like to hear it from you." She sat there, patiently waiting for his answer. Robin let out a deep sigh.

"I made a mistake, a cruel mistake and suffered more than enough for it. My... my wife died because of me and I want to take this as a second chance, as an opportunity to leave the past behind."

"Do you regret what you did, Mr. Locksley?"

He swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears that were dwelling up at bay. She had no idea, no idea about the demons he had to face every day. No idea to wake up with the nagging thought in your mind that you killed the woman you loved more than anything in this world. She was asking him if he regretted it? He loathed himself for every minute he was living while Marian had been forced to leave this world too early. "Every minute of every day," he choked out and for the first time since he'd entered, Mother Superior smiled at him. She touched her rosary.

"Then God will forgive you for your sins, mind, I'm sure he already has. Welcome to Mist Haven, Mr. Locksley. It's a pleasure to have you here. Greena will show you to your room and tell you everything you must know about this place."

Within the blink of an eye a hidden door in the bookshelf behind Mother Superior opened and a small blonde woman entered the office. She bowed slightly in front of Mother Superior before she turned toward Robin, giving him a quick smile.

"Tell David to come and get Mr. Locksley in the morning. He can help with the garden work and get acquainted to this place before we consider on letting him in on the patients," Mother Superior ordered, waving a hand in dismissal.

"Yes, Mother." Greena strode past Robin, waving her hand for him to follow. Robin bid the other woman goodbye, and then followed the blonde out of the office. Once the door closed behind them, Greena let out an annoyed huff. Finally, she turned around, smiling at Robin with a toothy grin.

"Hi, I'm Greena, but everyone here calls me Tink - except Mother Superior of course." She rolled her eyes slightly.

"I'm Robin. Tink... is an unusual nick name." They shook hands fairly quickly. Robin was surprised at how strong Tink's handshake was. The woman was certainly stronger than she appeared.

"If you stick around long enough, you'll get the hang of it. So, Robin, ready for a little insanity? Oh don't give me that look! It's not as bad here as you may first think. Now let's go! I'll show you to your room and they we can head down to the kitchen and see if Granny has some of the dinner ready. You must be starving - if you're not, I am!"

"Food sounds good," Robin mumbled.

"Come on then."

Xxxxx

They walked down the darkened corridor, up a pair of stairs and rounded several corners. Robin wondered whether he would get a map of this facility or if he was supposed to remember it all. Every hallway looked the same, even though he had a very good sense for orientation, he had no idea which part of the castle they were currently walking through. "It takes a while to get used to this place. When I first came here I got lost every other day."

"I can imagine," Robin mumbled, relieved when they finally arrived at a spiral staircase.

"This is the East wing where the employees have their chambers. The rooms for the members of the convent are located in the West wing. If you take this stairs upstairs it will lead you straight to the tower where our male employees sleep and where your chamber will be located. If you take these stairs downstairs, you'll be near the kitchen and laundry rooms. I take it this is all your stuff?" Tink pointed toward the duffle bag that was dangling from his shoulder.

He nodded. "After five years of prison you don't have much stuff left."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to tell someone to bring a bunch of your new work clothing to your room. Come on!" She dragged him up the stairs with a laugh. Robin almost stumbled but saved himself from falling by catching the banister on the wall.

They arrived at a small hallway with multiple wooden doors. Tink went straight on, leading him to the end of the hallway where she opened a door which lead into a wide round room with four beds, each with its headrest against the wall next to one of the four windows and a chest in front of the foot end. There was a simple wooden night table next to every bed with a night lamp and a Bible. Of course.

For a moment Robin feared this room would feel as cold and dark as the rest of the castle but his suspicions weren't confirmed. It seemed rather... cozy. Right next to the door was a wooden wardrobe with four doors - apparently one for each occupant of the beds, which had all put fresh linen on. There was a towel resting on the chest at the foot end right next to a robe and a bar of fresh soap.

When he stepped further into the room, he could see the two beds on the right-hand side of the room occupied by several pairs of boots in front of the chest and a sock being stuck between the lid and the rest of one of the chests.

"Over there are David's and Killian's beds, so you can decide which one of the other two to take." Tink pointed over to the two beds on the left-hand side. Robin chose the one in the middle next to David's. He put his duffle bag down, his eyes resting on the bible on the nightstand. Hopefully they wouldn't expect him to attend church every Sunday because after what happened to Marian, he'd lost faith in God.

"I envy you guys! You have such a nice view of the garden from up here. At the West wing, all you can see is the woods."

Robin nodded at Tink, stepping closer to the window. The garden was beautiful indeed. Multiple beds of flowers - snowbells - and vegetables lined up neatly next to each other. A man was working there right now with a shovel, preparing them for the sowing. A path made out of white pebble stones was leading to a white arbor that was surrounded by cut back rose bushes. He imagined it would look quite beautiful once the roses started blossoming. His gaze was drawn to a movement further down the right. Graham was running over the meadow - a sight Robin figured he would get used to. He watched the man, no, wolf, he was a wolf, run up a hill where a single tree was standing on top. A woman was sitting in front of it, clad in a white foot long dress with a grey wool jacket; her hands were absently smoothing the fabric on her tights. Thick dark curls were cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall and she seemed to stare at something in the distance.

Graham slowed down in his movements before he carefully approached her. He sat down next to her, nudging her side with his head. The woman wiped a strand of his wild hair out of his forehead before she continued smoothing down the fabric of her dress. Robin couldn't see whether she was talking to him or not, he was too far away for that. However he could feel her tense for a moment and her hands stopped shortly in their tracks. Finally, she rose her head toward his direction and for a heartbeat Robin felt like she was staring right at him. Her gaze, even if she was so far away, made him feel like an intruder, made him feel uneasy as if he'd disturbed a private moment.

"Are you coming, Robin?" Tink asked from behind him. He closed his eyes and backed away from the window, taking a deep breath. Well this had been awkward.

"Are you okay?" Tink asked with slight concern in her voice.

His head shot up. "Uh... yeah. I just saw Graham running through the garden. I guess I have to get used to this sight."

Tink gave him an understanding smile. "Yeah, he's quite the figure. Let's see if Granny has the dinner ready, I'm starving."

Before he turned around to follow Tink, Robin threw one last glance back out the window to the tree on the hill. The woman was gone, had vanished, was nowhere to be seen. Only Graham was left, sitting on his legs staring right at him. If it hadn't done so earlier, this place was really starting to creep him out.


	2. The Boy Who Believes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Merry belated Christmas everyone! I hope you survived the holidays - I feel like I gained 10 pounds and can only roll instead of walk from one place to another. Thanks so much to the amazing waterbaby134 for her help with this chapter. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I really hope it was worth it. For those of you who are awaiting a Bachelorette AU update, I hope I'll be able to update that one before New Year. Now please enjoy! I would love to know what you think about it!
> 
>  

 

(2)

Tink kept babbling on and on. He should probably be listening but he couldn't, not really, when it felt like a new surprise was hiding behind every corner in this weird place. There were thick wooden doors with heavy locks in front of them. Apart from a small wooden table covered with a red colored cloth and crystal vase with a single red rose - probably from the garden outside -, all positioned under an intimidating cross on the wall above, Robin had not seen any sort of decoration in this place. There was an unsettling lack of warmth here, which made the blood run cold in his veins. Also, Robin had a feeling he just could not shake off. Was he being watched? Even though he turned around multiple times to check, he couldn't make anyone out. _Don't be ridiculous,_ he told himself; _this is an Asylum not a madhouse._ Though at this moment he actually wondered where the difference was. This was an institution for mad people and whether he liked it or not, he had to try and survive the next year without becoming insane himself.

Up until now they hadn't met anyone else on their way down to the kitchen. Tink kept babbling on and on. Surely it would be better to listen to her, however Robin could just not concentrate. The image of the beautiful young raven haired woman in her white gown sitting under the tree just wouldn't leave his mind. He wondered what her story was. Why would such a precious creature be locked up in an asylum? Should he ask Tink about her?

They climbed down the last flight of stairs, which lead to some kind of an atrium. Tall wooden doors with engravings that Robin was sure showed some kind of biblical scene blocked their path.

"This is the entrance to the great dining hall. If you go over there," Tink pointed toward the other end of the atrium through which Robin could see a few familiar stairs, "You'll get back to the entrance hall. It's a little confusing, I know, but the dining hall is the heart of the castle. Back in the days it was used for balls and stuff like that. For a short period of time it even served as a church. You'll see, we will hold our Sunday morning mass in here, too. It's obligatory for all residents and staff, just so you know. All other morning and evening masses are held in the chapel, if you're interested. Now, except for Sunday mornings, most of our residents come and eat here - those who cannot come because they are disabled or simply because it would be too dangerous for them, take their meals inside their rooms. Let's go and see if Granny's already setting up supper."

Tink pushed one of the heavy doors open and slipped inside, Robin following closely behind. He'd expected the hall to be great but he hadn't expected this. Light was falling inside through the windows with colored glass, diving everything into a sea of colors. The hall seemed to stretch out at least two thirds of a football field; the ceiling with elaborated wall paintings in multiple colors was so tall Robin had to bend his neck to see right up. The five long rows of dark wooden tables stretched the room even more. At the top of the hall were a few modern looking windows that served as the pass-through to the kitchen. A delicious smell of roast hung in the air, making Robin's mouth water immediately. Up until now he hadn't realized how hungry he really was, so the prospect of a juicy piece of roast and sauce with boiled potatoes made his stomach grumble. A laugh escaped Tink, which made him shamefully put a hand onto his belly.

"I'm sorry. It's been a while since I last had something that smelled so delicious." He thought back to the prison food, an unidentifiable salty pulp that had tasted like the sole of a shoe. The first few days he'd declined to eat it, had thrown it into the waste and just nibbled at the piece of bread they'd gotten for breakfast. Not because he was the pickiest of people, but the grief for Marian and the forlornness of the situation had made him fall into depression so deep, he couldn’t have cared less for such a mundane practice as eating. Soon however, he'd given in. Grieving, he may be, but hunger had a way of making bad things seem worse, and it was better to have a full belly than starve to death. The option to kill himself had been too easy anyway. He was responsible for Marian's death and wherever she was now, he hoped she was better. He didn't deserve that, didn't deserve to feel better. What he deserved was every single bit of sole pulp, every sip of foul water and every beating from the prison guard Officer Nottingham had bribed, who'd made it his personal business to make his time in prison hell. Hell. Robin was sure he deserved it.

Tink eyed his ever-changing facial expression with a curious look before she nudged his shoulder to pull him out of his thoughts. "Oh Granny will be pleased to hear that it smells nice. She's an amazing cook, let me tell you. I don't know how she manages it but her food will make you want to stay forever!"

A nervous laugh escaped him, but Tink deliberately ignored it, dragging him along to the top of the hall while explaining more and more to him. "Breakfast is every morning at 7:30 am, except for Sundays, then it's served at 9 am so afterwards everyone can attend the 10 o'clock mass. Lunch is at 12:30 pm and supper at 6 pm. Make sure you're never late for the meals and stay away only when you're formally excused from Mother Superior herself. The rules here are very strict." She made a face, which turned into a grimace.

"Everyone has their own spot. You'll be sitting over there with the other staff members. Remind me to show you your seat after we’ve got something to eat for you."

They walked over to the door next to the pass-through windows that lead to the kitchen. It was a spacious area with lots of conglomerate ovens, stoves and tables on the wall. In the far back were two large basins with drainers, which were probably for the dishes. It didn't look like there was a dishwasher anywhere near, so Robin wondered who exactly was responsible for cleaning all the pans and dishes after the meals.

The two only people in the room were an older lady with grey hair that was neatly done up in a bun and round glasses through which she observed the boy next to her. His hair was short and brown; he was probably not much older than ten or eleven. He didn't notice the newly arrived guests since he was too busy stirring the dough in the bowl in front of him with such precision; Robin wondered why such a precious boy would be locked up in an asylum.

"Oh my God, you're making Granny's famous chocolate cookies?" Tink exclaimed excited, "Has she finally given away her recipe?"

The boy looked up, his eyes sparkling with joy at the appearance of the blonde nun. "Tinkerbelle! There you are! I knew you would come sooner or later." He abandoned the dough and jumped down the chair to hug the petite woman fiercely. "Granny has taught me the recipe by heart, but I promised her to never tell anyone. It's our secret."

"Well then, secrets must be kept. You know me, Henry. I can never stay away from Granny's cookies, especially not when you helped her make them. Yours always taste even more special." Tink ruffled his hair before she tried to get a peek on the dough in the bowl that Granny had continued to stir.

"I'll remember that the next time you come begging me for one," Granny remarked grinning but she let the boy have his praise.

"You came just in time for the super special ingredient!" Henry grinned, dragging her over to the counter.

"And what would that be?" Granny asked, "I thought you remembered the recipe by heart, Henry. Did we forget something?" The old woman seemed amused, shooting Robin a quick glance and then a nod before she turned back to Henry.

"Oh Granny, you know mine are always extra, extra special. And for this we need the special ingredient! Fairy dust of course! Tink, you have to put your fairy dust inside!"

"Oh my, of course! How could I forget?" Tink hit her forehead with her palm as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Robin watched her reach onto the pocket of her dress and pull out a small glass bottle with a yellow colored glittering powder. She added some of it into her hand and blew it on the cookies.

"Now close your eyes and wish, Henry." Henry did as he was asked, closed his eyes fiercely and then clapped his hands excitedly before he politely asked Granny whether he could continue with the stirring.

"What did you wish for?" Tink asked curiously, but Henry laughed it off.

"You know I cannot tell you, Tink, otherwise the wish won't come true. You of all fairies should know that."

"Make sure the fairy dust is well spread throughout the dough, Henry. But first we shouldn't be rude and welcome our new guest here, shouldn't we?" She wiped the hands clean on her apron before walking over to Robin who was still standing in the doorway, not sure if he was allowed to come in. If he'd learned one thing in prison then that the cooks were very protective of their kitchen.

"Come in, young man, come inside. I'm Greta Lucas, but everyone - including this one over there - calls me Granny. I promised Henry to make cookies for his friends today.  Now are you one of our new residents or are you a new caregiver?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. uh… Granny. I'm not a resident, I'm the new gardener, I think?"

"That's right. He's helping David with the gardens for now, but I'm sure he'll be happy to help with the dishes and laundry from time to time, too," Tink grinned while sneaking a bit of dough from the bowl.

"A helping hand in the kitchen is always appreciated, young man."

"Hey, Tink! You mustn't eat raw cookie dough with fairy dust. It will give you a tummy ache," Henry pointed out, pulling the bowl away from her. Tink threw Granny a scandalized look, but the old woman only shrugged.

"You heard the boy. No sneaking cookie dough."

"But I'm a fairy! I live off fairy dust!"

"You just want to have the dough," Henry concluded before he took the bowl and carried it off to another counter further away from things. "Fairies like sweet things. You can have a cookie when they're done."

"You have gotten yourself a deal, Mister. Now since you are baking for your friends, perhaps Robin can have one of your special fairy dust cookies for dessert, too?" The loud gasp Henry let out was followed by the clang of the metal bowl on the stone floor.

"Henry!" Granny scolded the young boy, walking over to him to retrieve the bowl from the floor while Henry continued staring at Robin. Thankfully the dough was so sticky nothing had fallen out, so Granny set the bowl on the nearest counter, grasping the shivering young boy's face but not able to get a reaction out of him.

"What is happening? He's probably in shock. Henry? Henry, can you hear me?"

"Should I call Dr. Hopper?" Tink asked shocked. She flinched when Henry's eyes ripped away from Robin and stared right back at her. He whispered something they didn't understand.

"Henry? What did you say? Oh sit down, my boy…" Granny carefully led him over to a chair where she pressed him down. His lips continued moving but no sound came out. Instead, his hands started shivering when he raised one and pointed at Robin.

"Where's the house phone, Granny? I'll ask Dr. Hopper to come down here." Granny pointed toward the wall next to the back door where a black phone rested against the wall. Tink was just about to pick up the receiver when Henry started to talk.

"You found him." They stopped in their movements. Tink hung the receiver back into its place and rushed over to Henry, Granny and Robin, who seemed a little lost at what to do with the situation. "I knew you'd find him sooner or later," Henry whispered, the color returning to his face. He dropped back against the back of the chair, breathing heavily.

"Henry, what are you talking about?" Granny wondered. Her hand went to his forehead to check him for temperature but he was cold against her touch. "Do you know Robin?"

Robin swallowed hard, going through his memory and wondering if he'd ever seen the kid somewhere before. No, not that he could remember.

"Robin. He's Robin Hood. He's gonna save her. He's gonna save all of us from _her_. I knew you would find him, Tinkerbelle. I knew you would." His hand reached out to Robin who reluctantly stepped closer to grab the boy's cold, shaking hand. "Robin. You must find her and tell her it's going to be okay - but she cannot go through with her plan. Snow knows. She's seen her and she will betray her." His gaze flickered over to Granny and Tinkerbelle before they went back to Robin. "You're her last chance. Please."

"Who are you talking about, Henry? Henry?" Robin grabbed the boy's shoulder but his eyes rolled backward and he dropped unconscious. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"Call Dr. Hopper, Greena. _Now_!" Tink flinched at Granny's harsh voice and jumped up to call the house doctor. The old woman herself dropped down next to Henry and checked his pulse.

"His heart is beating too fast. Damn it!" Granny looked around before her eyes stopped at Robin. "You look like a strong man, Mr. Robin. Do you think you can carry him to the Hospital Wing?"

Robin nodded, scooping the unconscious boy up in his arms. "Lead the way."

Tink and Granny rushed Robin who was carrying Henry toward the Hospital Wing. Right now he didn't care about remembering the way, he had to make sure he wouldn't trip with the boy in his arms. Two great wooden doors on front of him opened almost automatically and a man clad in a black frock with a stethoscope slung around his neck came toward them. 

"Hello, I'm Dr. Hopper," he quickly introduced himself before he led the way to a free hospital bed where Robin was allowed to put the boy down. His breathing had evened out and the color had come back to his face. "What happened?" the doctor asked.

Granny gave him a quick summary of the events while Robin and Tink waited a few feet away to give the doctor and nurses enough room to work their magic.

"What… what happened?" Robin whispered in a low voice, afraid to disturb the doctor and his work.

Tink let out a heartbroken sigh. "Henry, he… he's our youngest resident and he's suffering from hallucinations. Sometimes it is quite adorable but in moments like these… We don't know where it's coming from. He has these dropouts sometimes but most of the time he is okay. It hasn't happened in a while and only when something gets him really riled up…"

"Do you think it was my fault?" Robin asked devastated.

"No… I don't know, Robin," Tink answered sincerely. "All I know is that they happen sometimes. He… Henry believes everyone here to be a fairy tale character, you know? That we're all cursed by some Evil Queen to live here in the real world. His fantasy knows no boundaries and he has a way of making people believe. That's why he and most other people here call me Tink - from Peter Pan's Tinkerbelle."

Robin nodded understanding. "That's why you had the 'fairy dust'."

"It's just colored sugar. Sweetens everything a little, but he believes it's real. He thinks Ruby is Red Riding Hood and Granny the Grandmother from the tale - that's why he calls her Granny. We've taken over some of his names to make his life easier and our lives a little more cheerful. He's a happy boy, you know. Smart, loving… his stories are a bit confusing sometimes but he's content if you say you believe him and go along with it. He probably heard me call you Robin and concluded that you must be Robin Hood."

"That's what he called me," Robin remembered. "But he said more… what… what was he talking about?"

"I don't know," Tink mumbled, her eyes wandering over to Henry who had just been covered with a thick blanket to keep his shivering body warm. He looked so small and fragile in this oversized bed, it made Robin's heart ache for the young sick boy.

Even though Henry's words didn't make any sense to him, Robin would make sure he'd write them down once he got the chance. He'd been a criminal once - a really good one and if he could sniff out one thing, it was lies. Tink had lied to him when she'd told him she didn't know who Henry was talking about. This place was turning more and more into a mystery for him. Why would she lie? Who was going to betray who? Was someone in danger?

While Dr. Hopper finished off with Granny, the older lady quickly excused herself and headed back to the kitchen since supper wouldn't finish itself. She was in a hurry because she'd forgotten the roast was still in the oven and Ruby wouldn’t be there to check on it until later this afternoon. Still, she took another moment at Henry's bed. "I'll remember to finish off your cookies and have someone bring them to you, my boy," she whispered softly to into his ear and patted his head. She then promised to see them all in a few hours and thanked Dr. Hopper and the nurses for their help.

Robin had lost all appetite over the events of this afternoon.

"Come along, I'll show you back to your room so you can unpack." Tink threw one last glance at Henry, a sorry look on her face, before she left, Robin following close behind her. If he could remember the way, he'd go and check upon the boy after supper.

Xxxxx

_A few hours earlier…_

The light breeze swept over the hill like a tingling splash of cold water, tousling her hair slightly. It wasn't cold, no, not anymore. Even though her dress was too light for this time of the year, the grey wool jacket kept her comfortably warm against the breeze. It was nice to feel things again, to be able to smell, to touch, to taste. The numbness that had held her body captive for so long lessened and lessened with each day passing by. Soon she would be ready – but not yet, it was still too early. She still caught herself drifting off back into the numbness far too often. On the other hand, this was good. This way people didn't really notice when she was just sitting somewhere, rubbing the fabric of her dress absently. It was easy for her to stare at one spot for hours with a fake smile on her face, blinking perhaps once or twice until her eyes became so dry she lay down and faked sleep.

She was used to not answering when people talked to her, to just pushing her head a little to the side, smiling and playing with a strand of her hair. They may think she was listening, but she wasn't, not really. When nobody listened to her, they didn't deserve to have her listen to them either. Perhaps she would have been better off if she'd stayed in her delirium. No. No, she mustn't think like that. It wasn't right to lock her up in here with a bunch of lunatics! She wanted freedom, she wanted to be able to decide for herself, she wanted… "Daniel."

Carefully she closed her dry eyes, her hands stopped to smooth the fabric on her legs for a moment. Take a deep breath. One deep breath. Hold it… a bit longer. Now let it out. She repeated this two more times before she opened her eyes once more and continued to stare at the castle she disdainfully called prison. _Misthaven - Asylum for the Insane_. Only she wasn't. No matter what people might think, what _she_ might have told people, she wasn't insane!

"I am not insane." The words were spoken out loud by her but it still felt like she was hearing them through cotton, said by someone far, far away.

The thing with lies was… the more often you were told them, the more you believed them. She almost would have - believed them, she thought. She'd wanted to kill herself for believing them - this was what lies did to you. Her feet started to feel numb under her, her legs already asleep. Numb. Numbness was everything she'd known for three years and now… now the feelings were coming back. Now she was ready to take matters into her own hands.

His scent betrayed him before she saw him running toward her, with his knees on the ground and his hands clutching the damp grass before he came to a halt in front of her. Graham. Her hands were shaking, wouldn't obey and only when he winced and nudged her in the side she was able to rip her eyes away from the prison toward the man in front of her.

"You came," she whispered quietly, scared anyone would hear them. She patted his head and removed a few of the wild strands that spread out to all sides. There were twigs and leaves caught everywhere and the wolf was dirty - very dirty. "And you need a bath."

He let out a growl followed by a wince as if the idea of a bath was the most horrifying thing to him. "But I don't want you to get fleas, Graham. Next time I bath, we can bathe together, how does that sound?" Graham barked approvingly and settled down next to her. "I thought you might like that. Men."

She wanted to laugh, wanted to chuckle, but could only bring herself to crack a smile while she continued to pat his head and back. Sometimes, when she closed her eyes or in the night, it was almost like she could hear him talk back to her, a deep voice underneath the humming and growling. Just like now when she could swear she heard someone say: "Being watched."

Oh, it was nothing new for her to be watched. In the first two years she'd always been watched due to orders from _her_. . . But then she'd been given even stronger pills, pills that made her number and number until she couldn't even feel her own body anymore, which tied her to her bed for weeks. For some reason it had stopped though. She'd stared to feel better with Graham. He'd come to sleep in front of her door and one time, Sister Tink had let him inside where he'd took a stand at the end of her bed. He'd lie with her when the bad dreams came, soothing her like no one else had before. And suddenly the numbness had lessened. She'd share the meat of her food with him and let him have his small space at the end of her bed. With him she felt safe. He was her only true friend in this goddamn prison, her only true friend next to Henry, the boy who thought she was a princess who needed to be saved from _her_. Oh if she only was. If only all of this was a fairy tale like Henry believed, if only all of them were cursed by the Evil Queen like Henry had told her over and over again. But no one could be saved or save her from _her,_ no one. They were doomed to live here for the rest of their lives, to live in an asylum for the insane. Perhaps it would be possible. Perhaps it would be for someone like her, for someone who didn't belong here, who was not _insane_.  With Graham's help. She let her eyes gaze around carefully but couldn't see anyone close by.

"Tower." She flinched, her eyes flying over to Graham who lay peacefully beside her with eyes closed and a content grimace that could be mistaken for a smile if she didn't know it was him on full alert. Slowly, she lifted her head toward the tower in the East Wing. The window was open - it usually was to let fresh air inside but there was an unfamiliar frame staring right back at her. She could see him in the window watching her and Graham and for a moment it was as if their gaze locked together despite the distance. It was a man, a new one. A new employee?

"Have you met this man already, Graham?" she asked curiously, dragging her gaze away from the tower and back to her wolf friend. Graham hummed. "Is he nice?" Another hum. "Well aren't you a talkative one today," she sighed back, the content fake smile she was used to settling back on her lips.

"Friend." Graham's sincere forest green eyes locked with hers and stole her breath away. She could swear he'd talked to her, could swear he'd spoken to her, but it wasn't possible.

"My mind is playing games with me again. But fine… if you think he's a friend, perhaps… perhaps he could help me. But I have to be careful. We have to be careful. You're with me in this, aren't you?" Graham nudged her side with his head and this time, she smiled for real. "I knew you would be, my friend."

They continued to sit there until the bell for supper rang. Graham was the one to jump up like he'd been bitten by a bee and ran over to the back door of the kitchen where he knew Granny would have a big slice of raw meat prepared for him. She herself would continue to sit under the tree until someone came looking for her and would scold her for making the others wait for so long. It was another side effect of the pills, the losing track of the time. But who was she to blame? Back when the numbness had always been there she'd been out for days, only remembering small fragments of what happened over the time.

"Regina!" Someone yelled down from the hill. Apparently this time they had sent sister Ariel. "Regina come on, everyone is waiting for you to come to supper." 

 

 


	3. The Wolf and the Bull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello everyone! I apologize for the long wait, but real life got the hang of me. I'll start my last semester of studies in a while and I have to work hard in order to achieve the things I want, so sadly I can't be as focused on fanfic as usual. However, this chapter is long (for me) so I hope it can make up for the wait. A huge thanks goes to waterbaby for betaing and in case any one of you is a fan of The Mentalist, please check out her recent work!  
> In case you'd like updates on the status of my fics or just to talk, you can follow me on twitter. I'm GlindaLoveShoes there.  
> Now I'm really curious who of you get the reference to my absolute fave non Disney movie! I hope you enjoy!

(3)

Robin had just finished unpacking as the bell for supper rang - not that he had much to unpack to begin with. His duffle bag contained underwear, a few shirts, another pair of worn shoes, a hoodie and two pair of jeans. When he took a look at the wardrobe, it looked kind of empty compared to the ones of his roommates, which he hadn't had the pleasure to meet just yet. Robin didn't care though; the only thing really valuable was the picture of him and his late wife Marian in a simple glass frame, which now rested on the small table beside his bed.

Tink had promised she would see to getting him some of the employee clothes and everything else he needed like soap, a washcloth and most importantly, a toothbrush. Everything he needed would be provided from the asylum for the time being. It wasn't much different from prison except that he was allowed to leave for town once a week on his day off. His freedom was restricted - but at least this time he had something that came close to freedom. Robin shoved the duffle bag into the lockable chest in front of his bed and dropped down onto the hard mattress. The beds in prison had been much, much worse so he didn't really care. It was nice to have a real bed again, to have a room that belonged to him - well, almost. Despite the fact he had to do nine months of social service here he was free. As free as a convicted bank robber could be in his case.

Carefully, Robin took the frame that showed Marian in her wedding dress and traced the outlines of her face with his fingers. The paper was worn. There were two edges where it'd been folded multiple times and the color had lessened over the years. She was beautiful, her smile directed at him, her eyes wrinkled with laugh lines. He remembered the day it was shot like it was yesterday, how he'd made some comment that made her laugh - oh he always made her laugh because it was his favorite thing to hear. This had been their happiest day… and then everything had went down, one crisis after the next and then…

The lump in his throat was so hard to swallow he felt no air was coming through when he tried to breathe. Yes, their relationship had never been easy but he'd tried to be a good man, he'd really tried, but failed miserably at it. The price had been too high and now… she was gone, his only reminder of her the worn photograph which reminded him of the happiest and worst time of his life.

It was the only thing he'd been allowed to keep with him in his dark cell in Nottingham Prison that he shared with another thief, Will Scarlett. A good man at heart who'd made some bad choices in his life, just like himself. They shared the same fate, only that his lady companion had ditched him with the haul, leaving him to deal with the police on his own. Ana. Ana was her name, a name that still haunted Will in his dreams. God, he'd been a lovesick puppy, had done everything he could to please Ana, to make her happy but she'd always wanted more. She'd used him - a fact Will had taken a long time and multiple late night talks with Robin to accept.

Will was still in prison but he'd be out in six months if everything went well. Perhaps they could do something together, help each other. It wasn't easy to find a job as a convicted fellow nowadays. People didn't trust you, but if Robin thought about it, he wouldn't trust an ex-con either. He couldn't even trust himself to not fall back into old habits even though he'd sworn to himself he’d become a better man. Perhaps Will and he could keep each other grounded, could remind each other of what could happen if they gave into temptation.

They'd become some kind of… friends, if you could call it that. With the promise to write every other week and an old used deck of cards they'd snuck from one of the guards, Robin had to leave him behind in Nottingham Prison. Hopefully his friend was lucky and his next cellmate would be someone of their sort, someone who was good at heart and made a bad choice. Sharing a cell with convicted, insane, unscrupulous murderers like Rasputin and Scar or a terrorist like Shan Yu was really nothing he wished on his friend, not after everything he'd been through after the first six weeks before he understood who really had a say in prison, who belonged to which group and who to have as your friend or who to rather avoid. His gaze fell back onto the picture in his hands.

"I'll try to right what I did wrong, Marian. Once I'm out of here, I will go get a real job and I promise I will change my life on from this moment being, together with Will. I'll help others and do good deeds. It's what I should have started doing a long time ago, when I first met you and if… if I had, I wouldn't have lost you." The realization he could have prevented all of it if he'd just _listened_ was still a hard thing to admit. He swallowed hard, pressing two fingers on his lips and then onto the frame. "I wish it didn't have to take losing you to realize that."

The bell for supper rang once again, this time more aggressively. Whoever was in charge of it didn't seem like they liked to wait. With a deep sigh, Robin abandoned the picture of his late wife on the nightstand and got up, hoping he would remember the way to the dining hall Tink had shown him earlier. It would take some time to get used to the castle, the secret passages and hallways which all looked similar to him. Darn, he should really go; otherwise he'd be late to dinner - something he really didn't want on his first day.

For some reason Robin didn't know, well, it was rather some kind of hunch but he couldn't really put a finger on it, his gaze wandered to the window on the head of his bed right toward the tree on the hill. The woman he'd seen this early afternoon was still sitting there, staring into the width. How long had she been sitting there? From what he could tell she hadn't moved an inch, was still in the same position, the only thing different was the fact Graham was gone.

Even though it was five to six, the night was already making its way back over in the East, ready to swap the remaining rays of the early spring sun against the harsh darkness of the night, which Robin felt would bring the last low temperatures, perhaps frost of the winter with it. He saw one of the nuns walking toward her, rudely dragging her back onto her feet. She didn't seem to resist, stumbled a bit at her first few steps probably to the fact of the blood rushing back into her limbs. A few steps down the hill and her grey wool jacket dropped off her shoulders while walking, which went unnoticed by the nun. Despite the fact the day had been rather nice for a spring day, it must have turned awfully cold in the last two hours with the sun hidden behind big grey clouds. The woman must be freezing, the shiver that made her body tense was a clear indication she was chilly. Robin was about to yell but realized they wouldn't hear him anyway.

Once again the bell rang, this time it sounded final. He should really hurry now. Down, he had to find the stairs and take them down, and then… It was surprisingly easy to find the way back to the dining hall since anyone capable of walking seemed to be drawn into its direction like a moth to light. The great hall was buzzing like a bee stock, people heading for their seats at the long dining tables. Some guided by nurses, some by the nuns and some on their own.

Everyone had their place… everyone but him, he realized. Tink had pointed into the direction of his table earlier but she'd given him so much information he simply couldn't remember. God, this was embarrassing. He shouldn't feel lost because… because…

"There you are," a familiar voice greeted him, her hand touching his upper arm. Robin turned to the side, surprised to see a familiar blonde smiling at him. He returned the smile with a sigh of relief the anxiety he'd felt washed away within seconds.

"Tink."

"Figured you'd be a bit lost on your first day. Come on, let's get you to your table and I'll introduce you to David and Killian. We have to hurry a little, Mother Superior is already taking her seat!" She dragged him toward the far end of the dining hall, which was closest to the kitchen. For some reason, Robin felt people staring at him. Well, he was the new guy, what did he expect? It was like in prison. You were the 'new guy' until the time someone actually 'new' came which sometimes could take a week and sometimes only a few hours. You had to be quick to find your place otherwise you'd be taken advantage of by the wrong people. He must look nervous, unfamiliar and… he was still wearing his dark green shirt which probably gave him away to the patients, which made him look out of place between the black clothed nuns and employees and the white/grey clothed patients who all seemed to be staring.

Robin took a look around and met a few familiar faces - there was Belle next to a man who'd tattooed a clock-face right onto his face with a broken hand that indicated the hours. Mother Superior had taken her middle seat at the head table of the dining hall. Granny who was waiting with a wagon that held plates and a cauldron with steaming soup, and of course there was Dr. Whale… no, Victor, who was sitting next to an employee in a straitjacket probably so he wouldn't take any of the spoons or forks to kill anyone on order to cure them from an imagined sickness.

They sidestepped multiple people who looked rather lost and a few nuns who were heading for them to guide them to their seats. The table for the employees was completely occupied except for one seat, which Robin figured now belonged to him. It was at the end of the bench next to a beardless light haired man in a black shirt who gave him a pleasant smile when Tink and he stepped closer to the table.

"David, Killian, may I introduce you to your new roommate Robin? He only arrived today and he will help you with the garden work for the time being. This is your seat, Robin. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, the others are expecting me." Tink bid her goodbyes and left Robin, who shook the hands of David, Killian and a few of the other employees at his table before he took his seat on the bench. He had a surprisingly good view across the dining hall from this seat.

"First day, huh?" the man, David was his name if he remembered correctly, answered with a smile.

"Yeah. It's a lot to take in," Robin mumbled. "You uh… have been here a while?" Nice conversation starter, Locksley. Well to be honest he couldn't think of anything else to ask right now.

"For almost three years," the bearded man, Killian, answered with a grin. "Came here for community service after I was convicted for… for taking back what belonged to me - and stayed."

Robin raised an eyebrow, about to ask what exactly he meant by that. So Killian was a convicted fellow, too? Had he been to Nottingham Prison as well?

"Don't ask," David chimed in, taking away the chance to dig deeper into Killian's affairs for now. "You'll hear the story soon and often enough. Now quiet, guys." They directed their gazes toward the front.

A sudden silence laid itself over the hall like a heavy curtain. If anyone happened to drop a needle, Robin was sure they'd hear it fall. Mother Superior rose gracefully at the end of the head table on the other side of the hall and folded her hands devotionally under her breast.

"My dear sisters, dear residents and dear all, let us begin this meal by thanking our Lord in heaven. _Oremus._ "

Everyone folded their hands and bowed their heads in a practiced manner. Robin followed suit and the whole hall was about to start with the prayer when one wing of the heavy oak doors was carefully pushed open and a red haired nun entered the hall, dragging someone behind her who Robin recognized as the young woman from the tree outside his window.

No one could rip their eyes from the intruders, some felt disturbed, some annoyed but Robin couldn't stop looking for an entirely different reason. She was beautiful, even more beautiful up close in her simple long white dress, with her fair skin and long dark hair, which was curled at the ends. A halo seemed to be the only thing missing to complete the picture. Her face however was blank of any emotion, her gaze completely empty, her eyes so dark they looked black from the distance. It was as if she was someplace else, far, far away from them.

The nun's face was as white and blank as snow, her grip on the young woman's wrist so tight it must be hurting. She hurried the young woman quickly toward the end of the hall, their steps echoing in the silence. For the moment, the distance between the oak doors and the end of the hall felt way too long for everyone who was staring at them. Their gazes must make it even more uncomfortable for the two of them and just for the moment Robin was glad to be hidden here in the back, away from the prying eyes of the crowd.

The young woman was seated not far from Robin right next to another empty seat and across a woman with shortcut black hair, white skin and red lips who curiously blinked at Robin when she caught him staring at the young woman's back. She raised her eyebrows curiously, murmuring something he couldn't understand.

Mother Superior cleared her throat in a manner that made Robin shudder and take his eyes off the young woman's back. It felt like a collective breath the people in the hall had been holding was let loose even though the tension was as tight as ever, before the prayer finally started.

" _In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti, amen._ Bless us, oh Lord, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift. Thy gifts, which we are to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord. We thank Thee for this food and every token of Thy love. Give us grateful hearts for all Thy benefits and feed our souls on the Bread of Life. Amen. _In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti, amen. Deo gratias in saecula. Amen._ "

Silence. While Granny and another tall woman with dark hair and red strands started to give the soup to the residents, slow murmured conversation filled the dining hall, words spoken so carefully and melodic they battered the silence like soft raindrops.

It was David who let out a slight hiss next to him followed by a more or less pitying smirk. "This is going to get them into a lot of trouble. Just a little advise, Robin - never _ever_ be late for dinner or mass if you don't have an excuse that's a matter of life or death _and_ approved of by Mother Superior."

"That bad, huh?" Robin answered skeptically. He tilted his head to get a better view toward the end of the hall where the nuns were sitting at the large head table. They were all eating silently except for the redhead who wasn't touching her food, her lips pressed together tightly.

"We're serious, mate. Your life here can be heaven or hell, it's up to you what you choose. However once you enter hell, there's no coming back." Killian shot back the glass of water before he refilled it once again with the glass decanter on the table. The man looked like he was used to stronger stuff.

"It's probably not Regina's fault anyway. Ariel should have gone to get her earlier. She'll probably have to do a whole week of night watch in the chapel as punishment - oh and it seems like she's been ordered to fast tonight as well. I'm not pitying her, she's a pain."

Robin looked up, his curiosity piqued not at the mention of the nun but rather of the young mysterious woman who'd mesmerized him from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her. "Regina… that's the woman who was late for dinner?"

His gaze flew over to the thin brunette who was sitting toward him with her back. There seemed to be bits and pieces of bark and old dried leaves stuck to her hair from when she was leaning against the tree. As if she'd felt his gaze, she tensed but didn't turn around. Perhaps he'd only imagined it or perhaps it was because of something the other brunette across her who seemed like she couldn't stop babbling said to her.

"Regina gets very strong medicine. Most of the time she's out like a light but if she's not, she needs assistance with _everything_ ," David explained. "Sometimes she wanders through the castle and ends up in the weirdest places because she's drifting. There are other times when she just sits somewhere and stares into the width for hours on end. I think if no one was able to come and get her for the meals she would die of thirst or hunger without knowing it."

"That's… sad," Robin mumbled, his heart aching for the beautiful mysterious brunette. "What happened to her? I mean from what I figured everyone here has a story…"

"She…" David started but was interrupted by the tall brunette who helped Granny with the food.

"Here you go, gentlemen! Granny's cabbage soup with bacon. Those who don't eat their soup won't get any of the casserole just so you know… Oh, who do we have here? You're the new guy?"

"I'm Robin," he answered smiling, shaking the hand she was holding out with a wide smile. Just then he recognized her sharp canine teeth and realization hit him. "And you must be Ruby?" The werewolf. She was a werewolf - no she _thought_ she was a werewolf.

"I see my reputation precedes me. Ruby Lucas. I'm Granny's granddaughter. So, Mr. Robin. Would you like some cabbage soup?"

"Actually, I'm starving. I'm hungry as a wolf." He was, he'd hoped to get some food this afternoon but then the thing with Henry happened. When he realized what exactly he'd just said he blushed furiously which only intensified when Ruby, David and Killian started to chuckle.

"Well then, my fellow wolf brother, I wouldn't want to keep you from your prey." With this she put the plate down in front of him and continued to give it to the other employees and residents.

"Nice slip, mate. Do you know she actually thinks she's a…"

"Werewolf? Yes. I believe it was Belle who told me when I first met Graham. I didn't mean to say something inappropriate in front of her, I just… slipped."

"It's fine, mate. Ruby is cool. Just don't get to close to her when it's full moon," Killian advised him with a wink. "So, Robin. Now that we're some kind of roommates I believe David and I have the right to get to know a little about you."

"You want to play twenty questions or what?" Robin asked only half joking.

"Wonderful idea. So, what brings you here?"

Robin took a spoon of the cabbage soup, which to his surprise tasted extremely well. Well, as well as cabbage soup could go. It was better than the prison food he'd had for all these years - mostly a weird tasting kind of porridge with bread that had fed a family of rats or two before it'd been handed to the prisoners. He'd lost a lot of weight and muscle mass, something that had been most shocking when he'd taken a look into a shop window that showed his reflection after he got out of prison. The first thing on his agenda had been to get rid of the beard, which had reached from his chin down to his chest. With nothing more than a blunt pair of scissors he'd managed to trim the beard to an acceptable length of scruff and his hair from a shoulder long pony tail to a decent length. Nottingham Prison was not famous for the treatment of its inmates. Bad cells, worse food and restricted access to cleaning since the latter really depended on who of the inmates was in charge of the lavatory. Under Jafar's 'reign' they'd been given free access to all lavatories and basins however under Scar the whole prison stank like a pack of hyenas.

"It's a rather long story which I would like to preserve for a long evening with enough beer." Robin finally admitted with a deep sigh.

"The beer could be difficult here mate. There's no alcohol allowed. However… Perhaps I could get us some of the mass wine from the wine cellar," Killian grinned mischievously. "I have certain connections."

"Oh sure you do, Killian," David groaned. "They almost got you last time and if it hadn't been for Ruby you'd have been kicked out."

While Killian told the hilarious story about breaking into the wine cellar, the second course - casserole with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut was served by Ruby who was sure to give Robin's compliments to Granny once she saw her. Heaven, the casserole was heaven. Yes, the cabbage soup had been well but the meat in combination with the sauerkraut and mashed potatoes was heaven par exellance!

"If you think that's good wait for the next full moon! That's lasagna time!"

"Why's that?"

"Then the cooling room needs to be cleared out to keep Ruby in," David explained. "They don't want to put her in one of the stairs downstairs because they fear she could kill someone or let someone out who's better locked away. So Granny locks her in the cooling room and keeps watch all night with Graham - up until now it's worked."

Robin swallowed his last bit of casserole rather reluctantly. "There… are more people? Locked away I mean?"

"Aye. The crazy ones are down in the dungeons - well the former dungeons - but we're not allowed to go there. Only a few selected people are. Depending on the wind you can hear their moaning and screams up in our tower at night if you leave the window open…"

"Killian!" David scolded the other man, "Stop with the horror stories about this place. Robin has only just arrived, there's no need to give him the creeps already."

"Nope, that's what those guys are for. What the hell is he doing here?!" Killian pointed over to the heavy oak door, which was wide open. A tall skinny old man with shoulder long white hair, a long face with a sharp nose and a goat beard, which reached down to the middle of his chest, entered the dining hall. He was dressed in a military uniform, which seemed to be from the middle of the last century. Followed by two extremely muscular red headed men which reminded Robin of bulls, he made his way over to Mother Superior who rose with an exasperated look on her face, clearly furious the three of them had interrupted their peaceful dinner.

"Who is he?" Robin whispered, trying to ignore the shiver running down his back. The appearance of these three men meant trouble, he could feel it.

"His name is Dr. Haggard. He's the head psychiatrist of Mist Haven and works closely with the head psychologist Dr. Gold. Looks like something happened… Oh bloody hell they're coming in our direction…"

They watched the three men walk down the aisle stopping not far away from them right next to a person Robin with horror realized was… Regina. It took less than a minute for hell to break loose.

Xxxxx

There was nothing that bored her more than the constant meals. Breakfast, lunch dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and teatime at the weekends. It was tiresome, especially since all the food meant nothing to her, not anymore, not with her appetite gone forever, not with all the pills she had to swallow in the mornings and at night. Granny wasn't a bad cook - to be honest Mist Haven probably had a better kitchen than any other mental facility in the whole country, no, in the whole world but food was the last thing on Regina's mind, had been since… well she didn't remember since when. It was the same tiresome routine every day and if she weren't depicted as crazy already, she would get crazy from this place within a few days.

Ariel dragged her along behind her, the nun's grip tight on her wrist. It was painful, yes, but since when had she ever bothered about the pain inflicted on her in this godforsaken place? Since when did anyone care how the patients were treated? The answer was not now and probably not ever. Even though her body was shivering, Regina didn't feel anything. Yes, she lost her woolen jacket, which had kept her warm outside unintentionally, but she couldn't very well go back and get it. Perhaps it was better this way. Perhaps it was better to lose the one thing which had pulled her out of the darkness after so long, which had brought her back. She didn't know how it'd come into her possession, didn't know who'd given it to her, but she knew it'd been the first step out of the numbness, out of the darkness which had swathed her every living moment. Better the nurses didn't know she could feel again, better they still thought she was stuck in a delirium because it made her life easier. Pretending was and always would be easy for her after everything that happened. Hide the pain, hide the emotion, hide your feelings, and hide yourself from everyone who could hurt you.

"Oh come on Regina, we'll be late and I swear if I get punished because of you, you'll regret it," Ariel hissed, dragging her through the open door with a sudden hard pull it almost made Regina stumble. Almost. Oh, they would punish Ariel, Regina knew as much - they would probably punish her, too, but since when did she care about punishment, about the awful things they did to the people who didn't obey? They couldn't inflict more pain on her than they already had. If they would end it - the pain, her life - it would be the easiest thing for her.

The doors to the dining hall were already closed - the sign they would start with the prayer soon or had already started. She could see Ariel's face drop in anger and defeat. They were late, late for dinner and this would have consequences Regina didn't care about.

"All. Because. Of. You," Ariel hissed, her fingernails digging into the pulse point on Regina's wrist so sharply Regina wondered when her skin would spring open and the blood would start running. It didn't happen though, no. Instead, Ariel pushed one of the door wings open, pulling her into the dining hall, which was as silent as a graveyard with hundreds of eyes looking at them.

Regina's eyes were focused on a point far at the back in the hall where no one was sitting while she was hurried along toward her seat by the redheaded nun, pushed down on the hard wooden bench in the most ungentle way imaginable. She blinked, registering the hurried steps of Ariel toward the table at the beginning of the hall; the prayer started within seconds. Something was different today; something was missing apart from her jacket.

"Where were you Regina?" Mary Margaret, the woman across from her whispered, "I was so worried I'd be left alone for dinner. I don't like to be alone, you know that." Regina only blinked.

" _In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti, amen…"_

She had her hands resting in her lap, not folded, not crossed, the words unreeling in her head but no tone was escaping her lips. Speaking was something else she'd given up on, especially in a crowded hall, especially at meals, especially to _him_. There was a time when she'd prayed every night, had asked the Lord to help her, to make things better, had promised to be the most obedient child - and oh how obedient she had been to _her_ \- but nothing. No happy moments, the only thing she remembered was pain. Pain, pain and pain _everywhere_ she went. God didn't love her. God punished her, punished her for something she didn't know but it must have been bad, oh so bad, otherwise she wouldn't be here, otherwise she wouldn't have lived through the pain she had. Even death seemed too merciful an option apparently otherwise it would have worked when she'd tried. Asking _him_ to take away her pain, to make it stop had not been in the cards for her so when the darkness had pulled her down, had captured her with no way out, she'd given up asking for help, stopped asking for him. Regina knew she was on her own, always had been… no, not _always_ , but she always would be.

The crowd ended the prayer she sensed as mocking of her very existence every time it was said and dinner started. Mary Margaret happily accepted the bowl of cabbage soup she was given while Regina only stared at it with an unidentifiable expression on her face.

"Do you know where Henry is? I wanted to play with him this afternoon but he never showed up!"

That's it, that's what had been missing next to her. She turned the head to her left hand side, finding the seat that was usually occupied by the young boy empty. Panic froze her body in place and her eyes widened in shock. Henry. Henry, her only friend, the only one she could count on to be there for her whenever he could was missing. Gone, gone like so many people. Her mouth opened, but she wasn't able to say anything. Her vocal chords were tight, almost hurting. What happened to him?

"He's in the hospital wing. He had an attack this afternoon while he was baking cookies with me in the kitchen," Granny quickly explained from the other table. Regina looked up and for a second, their eyes met, Granny full of concern - for her or Henry or both she couldn't say. It calmed her down but at the same time raised emotions she hadn't felt in a while. Worry. Worry about her little friend who always told her the most fantastic stories, who never gave up hope for her, who believed she could be saved from all this.

Regina liked listening to Henry. It was easy and he didn't expect her to answer, not like Mary Margaret who kept on babbling and babbling in the annoying attention seeking sweet childish voice of hers. An attack, he's had an attack, probably like the one she witnessed that one time out in the yard two years ago when she'd still been… whole, sane, when she'd still cared. When Henry had tried to persuade her she would be saved by a man called Robin Hood.

She almost cracked a smile, almost. The muscles in her face didn't even know how to smile anymore after all these years with the same emotionless mask frozen into place. The man had never come but Henry had always been there, had told her of his adventures, had told her his stories, stories that were so much more to him. These stories were his reality and sometimes Regina wished she could be in his position, to be in one of his stories, which always had a happy ending. A happy ending, a state she would never reach as long as she was alive. Never. After darkness had taken her in he'd been gone. No, not gone, if she thought hard enough she could remember him reading to her sometimes from one of his fairy tale books, but perhaps she was just imagining it. The darkness had played a lot of tricks on her mind and after it'd started to pull away from her, to let her back, she'd realized how much she missed Henry.

It wasn't the same between the two of them, no. Since she'd been gone such a long time, he'd found another playmate, Mary Margaret, who claimed a lot of his time. They were still friends though, even if she didn't talk much to him. He had Mary Margaret and she had Graham now. They were still friends, but they were okay.

"Oh no," Mary Margaret groaned, "and what am I supposed to do now? _I_ was supposed to decide what to play today." Pouting, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, her cabbage soup forgotten. "I want to see him. I want to talk to him. I want to play with him." I want, I want, I want, I want, I want… Regina closed her eyes, her head spinning from the demands the woman was making. She looked like she was at the end of her twenties but behaved and talked like a spoiled disobedient brat with the attention span of a fly.

"Did you see the new guy, Regina? He looks funny with his shirt. Oh, oh, he is looking at us!"

A feeling washed over Regina, the same one like earlier this afternoon, the feeling of being watched. She tensed, her shoulders stiff as planks but she wouldn't turn around to see the new employee who seemed to be watching them. Mary Margaret was giggling; her cheeks all rosy and flushed.

Her babbling continued, so Regina decided she should slowly take the spoon and try the cabbage soup. It wasn't bad - a bit cold perhaps now but not bad. Eat, chew, swallow, eat, chew, swallow. A mantra she kept telling herself so it looked like she was doing something. She didn't eat much, perhaps half the bowl was empty by the time the other patients had been given the casserole. Granny had complimented her on eating so much of her soup - usually she didn't eat anything or only picked at it but tonight she tried, she really tried hard to eat it. For Henry, the boy who was always worried about her, who snuck out cookies for her so she would eat something some days. Henry would be proud if he knew she ate half a bowl of soup. It would make him smile if she brought up the courage to tell him. Words were few and scare between them from her side, but if she said something it made him happy and meant a lot.

All of a sudden, the air in the hall grew cold and the conversations died down. Regina dropped her spoon, splashing a few sprinkles of the dark soup onto the sleeve of her white dress.

"Oh oh…" Mary Margaret mumbled, her mouth still full with the last fork full of casserole and sauerkraut she'd been eating. The tension in the hall increased as if something was taking away the oxygen.

Although Regina wanted to, she couldn't just turn around, afraid of what she might see. Instead she rested her hands in her lap, waiting for the heavy steps of one, two, three people to come closer. Her throat tightened, the shocked face of Mary Margaret evident something horrific was going to happen so despite everything she started to shake. Thump, thump, thump the steps came closer, more and more people turning around to see what was going on. It didn't mean anything good, it _never_ did. The shiver running down her spine brought an incredible chill with it, even colder than the air outside. What was happening? What was going on?

The smell of acid and mustiness wrapped itself around her like a second skin, making breathing hard, making her eyes burn. No, not again. The smell had burned itself into her every pore, every fiber of her senses. Pain, angst, darkness, death, all these things came with it. She closed her eyes, closed them so hard she was hurting but she'd learned a long time ago that closing your eyes didn't do anything good. It didn't make the world around her stop, didn't prevent things from happening. But by closing her eyes she could pretend she wasn't there. Perhaps one day she would really vanish into thin air after closing her eyes and just wishing hard enough - but not today, not now. The steps stopped right behind her; right at the moment she felt her heart stop for a beat.

"Take her," a voice thundered, every syllable like a harsh beat against her back, causing her to rip her eyes open. No. No, no, no, please no!

Scream, she wanted to scream but her voice was gone, her body stiff, the only thing moving rapidly was the blood running through her veins, hot and fast like a waterfall in sync with her pulse. The moment a hot hand gripped her shoulder, she turned around, staring right into the face of one of the bulls. No, they would take her, they would isolate her, they would rush her into a sea of pain she'd tried so hard to get out of. No. No!

"No." Just a whisper, a whisper of desperation was all that came out even though her body was screaming for the help she knew wouldn't come. No one came to help her, no one would, no one ever had. Not now, not ever. They would drown her in pain, they would take the last culm of sanity she had regained away from her, they would, they would… Oh please just let them kill her. Anything would be better than going back to that place with _them_ and _him_ , anything.

Within one swift movement one of the bulls hoisted her fragile body up, throwing her right over his shoulder, one of his large hands wrapped around both her wrists in such a painful grasp she wanted to scream while he pressed her calves down with his other arm. Regina didn't even have time to struggle against the man who was taking her, his disgusting smell engulfing her, making her unable to move and breathe.

"Regina!" It was Mary Margaret who screamed, her face red and puffy from crying. "No, no, no please don't, please leave her be, I didn't mean to… she didn't do anything!" She jumped up but was held back by the second bull who was keeping her down with two hands on her shoulders. "Don't! Don't! Regina! Let go of me you stinking jumbo!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Regina recognized the smirk of Dr. Haggard, his long bony fingers twirling and twisting the ends of his goat beard in amusement. A loud growl followed by a howl resounded from the corner of the kitchen doors, then something hit the bull who was holding Regina so hard into the back she slipped down onto the hard stone floor, almost hitting her head on the edge of the wooden bench she'd been sitting on.

Her vision was blurry, her body threatening to give into darkness and exhaustion, but she could see the bull was wrestling someone - no, not just someone.

"Graham!" He'd been the one to run over to them on all fours after having realized the danger. It was him who came to her rescue, him who was fighting to protect her from the bull who was now lying on his back, trying desperately to brush the wolf off. He was risking his life for her - no one had ever done that for her before.

One right blow and the bull could take him down forever, but the wolf was strong, apace. The wolf, who was baring his teeth, trying to get a good snap at the bull whenever he got a chance. The wolf whose claws had almost completely ripped his counterpart's shirt and there was blood in his face. He was dirty and sweaty and streaked with blood. His usually handsome face drawn into a gruesome angry grimace. A particularly nasty scream from the bull followed by sprinkles of blood splattering onto Regina's white dress, the contrast of the red and white so vivid, the bit of soup she had eaten threatened to come back up. Something small and bloody was resting right at her feet… the ear. Graham had bitten off the bull's ear!

A blow hit the wolf right into the stomach, making him falter for the mere of a second but he took the chance to the unprotected throat of his opponent and bit down with a loud yelp from both fighting parties. For a second it almost seemed like he would win.

"No! Graham!" Regina screamed, surprised about how loud her voice sounded all of a sudden. There was barely time to take in everything when the second bull ripped Graham off the floor like a rag and smashed him against the table. Cracking, yelping, screaming, broken dishes. People were ducking, hoping to escape the flying man who landed on the table with his back down, skittering a few meters and taking down all the dishes with a howl. Before she could do anything, she was once again taken, thrown over the bull's shoulder like a bag of straw. Struggling was useless.

"No, let me go, let me go. Please. Let me GO! Graham!" Out of the corner of her eye she could see the second bull rushing toward the injured wolf who was just gathering himself back together after the blow. His chest was heaving with heavy breaths, his lip split open and swollen. The desperation in his eyes was clearly visible, the instinct to protect her at all cost. He was strong, but Graham didn't stand a chance. Not after overpowering the bull that was now carrying her slowly away from the table. Perhaps he would have won if it'd been only one, but not two. Not, when the second one was ready to kill him.

They lunged for each other, fell off the table, a gruesome yowl escaping the wolf's throat, followed by the bull's roar but more she couldn't see. Her chin was pressed against the side of the other bull's face, something wet and hot tickling down her throat. The noises of the fight were dimming down while the voices of the people started talking in confusion.

No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. Not again, not… The metallic smell of blood and moldiness coming from the bull was overwhelming. She closed her eyes trying to breathe but it was hard, almost impossible.

_Please just kill me_ , Regina wished. _Please let it all just end._

"Thank you very much for the information, Miss Blanchard," Regina heard Haggard say toward Mary Margaret whose face was all wet with tears. "Your help in this case was very much appreciated."

Regina's eyes shot open and her mouth opened in a silent scream before she felt the tip of a needle plunged right into her neck and everything went black.

 

 


	4. The Hospital Wing

(4)

Shock. Shock, desperation and the dying need to help Regina and Graham but being prevented from it by two strong arms were overflowing Robin's mind and body, his mouth opened in a silent scream. He was held on his seat by David and Killian, each of them telling him to stay where he was, to not interfere, to leave them be. But the man was taking Regina, the other was attacking Graham. Chaos, the whole dining hall was filled with chaos, with people screaming and yelling, with the wolf and the man fighting. And Robin? He had to sit there, watch how the muscular man who looked so much like a bull was hitting Graham in the face, in the stomach, was cracking his bones. He had to watch and hear how Regina screamed, how she struggled, not being able to do anything against the man who'd thrown her over his shoulder and was keeping her there with a tight grip.

"We have to help!" Robin hissed, trying to shake David and Killian off.

"We can't! Listen to me, Robin, we can't do anything - if you don't want them to take you as well, then you have to stay where you are. There is _nothing_ we can do!" Killian explained breathlessly, trying to keep the blonde man down on the bench with him.

"Why are they taking her? What did she do?" He was interrupted by her screams, her pleas to let her go, but Graham was out, he couldn't help her anymore and when he saw Dr. Haggard hammering a gruesome looking injection into her neck, he almost lost it. Her lifeless body was now hanging limp from the man's shoulder. The other one who'd been fighting with Graham got up, wiping off some food from his shirt and followed the doctors out of the dining hall.

Silence. Everyone was silent, just staring at the men who were carrying Regina away, out of the hall, the only noise coming from the young woman at Regina's table who was shaking with silent sobs.

Mother Superior raised herself, cleared her throat and gave instructions to the residents to go back to their rooms immediately. Two nurses along with Dr. Hopper entered the room, heading straight for Graham who was lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding.

"We have to accompany the residents to their rooms, Killian," David mumbled, finally letting go of Robin who'd started to shake.

The man was used to his fair share of flights, fights which even ended with people being beaten to death in prison. Just like today, he'd always been a bystander, not wanting to get involved into the fights between the prison clans. Oh how he wished he would have taken action today. An innocent, disturbed woman being taken away by two scary looking men who were accompanying two doctors? This didn't sound like anything good could come out of it.

"What are they going to do with her, with Regina?" David and Killian exchanged a glance, their facial expression saying more than words ever could.

"You don't want to know," Killian finally said, and with the way his voice trembled Robin was sure he meant it. He really, really didn't want to imagine what they were doing to Regina wherever they took her.

"I'll see if I can help with Graham," Robin mumbled. He got up, but needed a minute to regain himself since his knees felt like they would give in. He should have been there, he should have helped Regina but he hadn't been able to. Now the least thing he could do was to help the only person who'd been brave enough to stand up against the men. Graham.

The silence in the hall was still making him feel uncomfortable and the fact none of the residents seemed surprised with the procedure told him this couldn't be the first time something like this was happening. He watched how David took care of the young woman with the pixie haircut who'd been sitting opposite Regina's seat and who was still crying, her body shaking with sobs, interrupted by apologies and excuses that she "didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

A deep breath and a moment to collect himself later, Robin was on the other side of the table where Dr. Hopper and two nurses were trying to heave Graham onto the stretcher. The man… wolf… was still unconscious and bleeding. Blood, so much blood everywhere. The smell almost made Robin feel sick but he swallowed the bile rising in his throat back down and knelt down next to the doctor. "How may I help?"

Dr. Hopper looked up, meeting his offer with a thankful smile. "We have to bring him to the hospital wing. He's lost a lot of blood and I'm afraid he might have a few broken ribs next to the broken nose. There is a chance of a concussion, so we have to be careful with transporting him. You take the front of the stretcher and follow me, the two sisters will take the back."

The clearing of a throat made Dr. Hopper flinch around, looking directly into the eyes of Mother Superior whose facial expression was cold as a stone.

"How is he?" She couldn't have asked with less concern, Robin thought angrily but focused on securing Graham on the stretcher with the help of the nurses.

"I can't say anything about the extent of the injuries right now. But once I know more I'll report to your office immediately."

Mother Superior nodded, about to turn around before she addressed the doctor once again with a mysterious tone. "Leti mille repente viae."

Dr. Hopper's lips formed a thin line. "Mors certa, hora incerta. I will let you know as soon as I can." He gave Robin a sign to pick up the stretcher and lead the way out of the dining hall up the familiar way to the hospital wing.

Robin remembered the way; he'd walked it once before today when they brought Henry to the hospital after his attack. The whole castle was quiet, only their soft steps on the stone floor echoed back from the dark walls which were now picked with lit candles in addition to the slight bit of electric light.

After arriving in the hospital wing, Robin helped to put Graham onto one of the metal tables in a separate room where the doctor would deal with the injuries. One of the nurses ushered him out, telling him not to wait for them but to help with leading the residents from the hall back to their rooms before shutting the door in his face.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't just leave Graham not knowing how bad his injuries were. His Latin was as good as nonexistent but he could swear that the doctor and Mother Superior had spoken about death. Graham was injured but still very much alive if you asked him.

This place was creeping him out more and more by the minute. He walked over to the tray next to one of the beds, reaching for a carafe to fill the glass with clear water. The sudden "Robin?" behind him let him almost choke on the gulp he'd just been taking.

He coughed, once, twice, before he put the glass down and turned around, surprised to see Henry up and all right standing right in front of him, clad in a long white shirt and bare feet.

"Henry," he breathed, not sure whether to hug the boy or scoop him up to carry him right back to his bed. "What are you doing up? You should be resting."

"I saw you come in with the stretcher and Graham. What happened?"

"Henry…"

"I won't go back to bed unless you tell me. Graham is my friend. What happened to him? I have a right to know!" Henry insisted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Robin sighed heavily. The boy was right, he had a right to know what happened to his friend and he couldn't let him walk around here with bare feet.

"Let's make a deal. You'll go back to your bed and I'll tell you what happened, okay?"

Henry seemed to be contemplating his options before he nodded and went back to the end of the hall where he'd drawn his curtains aside to see what was going on. He settled back into bed, drawing the covers up to his hip. "What happened? I just saw Archie and the nurses suddenly head away with the stretcher. They thought I was still asleep, after… you know."

Yeah, he did know. Images of Henry shaking, babbling and lying on the ground floated into his head, overlaying the images of a screaming, helpless Regina for a moment. So, how could he tell the story without scaring Henry to death?

"There… there was an incident this evening at dinner. A man… I think his name was Dr. Haggard…"

"Haggard?!" Henry exclaimed fearfully. "Are you sure it was him? Oh God. Oh please, no. He took her, right? He took Regina."

Robin's eyebrows raised in confusion. The boy knew Regina? He knew why Haggard would take her? He seemed angry as he looked up at Robin, eyes filled with tears. "I told you to protect her! I told you! How could you let this happen?! I told you she knows and… Now they have her. Now they have her and they are gonna hurt her!"

"Henry? Henry, what are you talking about? What did you tell me?" The blond man asked confused and agitated at the same time. He remembered, he remembered Henry's words which he thought had been spoken in delirium.

_"Robin. He's Robin Hood. He's gonna save her. He's gonna save all of us from her. I knew you would find him, Tinkerbelle. I knew you would. Robin. You must find her and tell her it's going to be okay - but she cannot go through with her plan. Snow knows. She's seen her and she will betray her. You're her last chance. Please."_

"You were talking about Regina," he whispered.

"You're supposed to save her, not throw her into the hands of the Red Bull and the Dark One!" Henry accused him angrily.

"Henry, please tell me what's going on. I just came here this morning. This place is confusing me. There are so many secrets and everyone seems to know something they can't talk about… I don't know who are the good guys and the bad guys here. If you…" Okay, if he really went with this, he had to persuade the boy he believed him. "If you know something… anything that can help me save Regina then please, you need to tell me. I can't do this by myself." Oh and save her he wanted. Whether it was the fact she was an innocent or because he felt something stir deep down when he got a glimpse at her, he wanted to help the disturbed young woman. Whether or not he could give anything for the words of a ten year old he didn't know, but he would listen and perhaps - somehow - this whole thing here would start to make sense to him.

Henry let out a deep sigh, wiping away the tears which had silently escaped his eyes. "Fine. Fine, I'll help you, Robin. But you have to promise me not to tell anyone, okay? Not everyone can be trusted here. Promise me!"

"I promise. Now… what do you know about Regina's situation?" He settled on the side of Henry's bed, a serious expression on his face.

Henry took a deep breath. "I… I don't know much. She never talks really and she's gone so often to some places in her head it takes forever to bring her back to this world. It's because of what _they_ did to her. _They_ made her crazy, Robin and I think it was Graham who brought her back to the living. I don't know how he did it, but since he started to become her friend she became better. I try to be her friend, too but she won't let me in and Snow…"

"Who is Snow?"

"She is… was… my friend. She found out about Regina and Graham. She saw something but she didn't want to tell me what it was, so I tried to warn Regina before Snow would tell _them_. Did she? Tell them, I mean." Henry's fingers clenched the blanked hard so the white of his knuckles was showing.

Robin took a moment to collect his thoughts. Snow… Snow… who was this Snow person? He could only mean the woman Haggard had addressed and thanked right before he left the dining hall with his bulls and Regina. The woman with the dark hair and pixie cut who'd been crying and trying to help Regina. What was her name again? Blank… Banker… Blanchard? Yes, that was it.

"So… you think this Snow has told Dr. Haggard about Regina getting better through Graham's help?"

"I don't know if she knew Graham was responsible, but Snow is a child! She can't keep a secret."

"She looks very adult to me," Robin muttered but then remembered who he was talking to. He was in a mental hospital for god's sake. Anything could happen around here, even an adult woman thinking she was a child. It's interesting Henry would say something like this, considering he was a child himself who apparently thought every resident of this asylum was actually a fairytale character.

"She may look like it, but she isn't in her head. She's locked inside her body, doomed to never grow up," Henry explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now tell me about what happened in the dining hall. Why was Graham brought into the hospital wing?"

Robin sighed. The boy would hear the story sooner or later anyway, if not from him, then from someone else. "Graham tried to protect Regina from the men who were taking her. He got into a fight with them, but he couldn't win."

"And what did you do?" Henry wondered, a slight accusative undertone in his voice which made Robin shift uncomfortably.

"I wanted to help her, Henry. I did, but Killian and David held me back. I couldn't do anything even though I wanted to. I… I couldn't help her and it makes me mad something like this happened and no one, _no one_ stood up to help her. There was a room full of people who just sat there like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Regina, she… She screamed for help but I couldn't give it to her." He didn't realize he was shaking until Henry rested his hand on his side, making him look at him. There were hurt and pain for his friend in his eyes, but also determination.

"It's okay, Robin. I know you wanted to help her. You couldn't today, but you will. You're Robin Hood, you fight the evil and help the poor. You will save her, you will save all of us. But now you have to keep a low profile so Operation Unicorn won't blow up in our faces."

"Operation Unicorn?" Robin wondered, not knowing whether to be amused or afraid. This boy was hallucinating. He thought he was Robin Hood for heaven's sake! He couldn't possibly take all of what he said for face value, could he?

Henry however seemed determined. "Yes. It's our code name. Only you and me know of it and once they release Regina and Graham is all better, we can work on the plan."

"Fine," Robin agreed, first reluctantly but then he saw the hope in Henry's eyes and gave the boy a genuine smile. "But if we want to work on that plan, we need you well and healthy. So you should really try and catch some sleep, Henry."

"Will you read me a bedtime story?" he asked, satisfied how well everything turned out tonight. He grabbed a book from his nightstand and handed it over to Robin. It was _Alice in Wonderland_ , a story he'd used to love as a child.

"I'll read you one chapter, okay? The whole book would be too long. You're supposed to rest after your…"

"You can say it, Robin. After my attack. They… sometimes they just happen and I can't do anything. Today I was lucky but on some days it's worse. My parents, they…" Henry stopped, shaking his head as if he remembered something but wanted it to go away. A sudden heaviness paired with sadness filled the room. "I'm at chapter three."

He settled back into the cushion of his bed, pulling his blanket up to his chin. Robin smiled at the picture of the young boy before he opened up the book at the page Henry instructed him to and began to read. The boy was out within minutes from exhaustion.

Silently, Robin placed the book back on Henry's bedside table and drew the curtains back around the bed so Henry was shielded from prying eyes. He realized privacy was something sacred in these halls, with eyes watching everyone's step and move. It would be hard to find out about Regina's whereabouts and what was really going on in this castle. Who was pulling the strings? Who were these doctors and most of all, what was behind Henry's story? Was Regina not as disturbed as everyone let on to be? Apart from Henry's fairy tale babbling he sounded quite… reasonable for a ten-year old boy.

Robin was just about to leave when the door from the operation room opened and the two nurses wheeled out Graham on a bed, clad in a white linen shirt similar to Henry's and bandages around his head. With all the blood gone, the man… wolf… looked much better now.

"Oh, you're still there Mr. Locksley," Dr. Hopper said surprised and Robin was not entirely sure whether it was a pleasant surprise for the doctor.

"Uh… Henry woke up and asked me to read him a bedtime story before he went back to sleep. I couldn't deny the boy."

Dr. Hopper gave him a genuine smile as his eyes trailed over to the drawn curtains behind which Henry was supposed to be sleeping safe and sound. "No, of course you couldn't, Mr. Locksley. We just finished up with our poor patient here. He's got a heavy concussion and several broken ribs as well as a broken nose just like I thought. Graham is strong. He's going to make it just fine. His only problem will be to gain enough rest. We sedated him for now but I'm afraid that when he wakes he will try to leave the hospital wing. There's not well reasoning with a wolf, you know? Instincts and all that."

"But he's going to make it?" Robin wondered in need of reassurance when he remembered the doctor's and Mother Superior's talk about death earlier.

"Medicus curat, natura sanat, Mr. Locksley. Graham is going to be fine once his injuries have healed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take a last look at Henry and see that my nurses will put everything back to where I want it. Goodnight Mr. Locksley."

The two men nodded toward each other and Dr. Hopper vanished behind Henry's curtains. Even though Robin knew he should be gone once the doctor emerged back, he couldn't help but step closer to Graham's hospital bed to get a closer look at the sleeping wolf man. Graham looked badly beaten up, but he was breathing, and that was the most important part.

He'd been the only one to stand up against the men, to fight for Regina and for a moment he felt deep admiration for the actions of the wolf floating through his mind. He'd taken more than a blow for the young woman, he'd fought until he was out cold and if the man he'd attacked hadn't stopped, he could have been dead.

Two against one - the chances had been bad, futile, but he'd still done it, had still tried to prevent them from taking Regina while all the others had been sitting there and done nothing.

The former prisoner was now standing right next to Graham, his tights brushing the bright white sheets he'd been wrapped into. He leaned down to whisper into the sleeping man's ear so Dr. Hopper or the nurses or anyone else wouldn't hear him.

"Thank you for helping her. You did what I couldn't. I promise it won't be like this next time… no, there won't be a next time because I won't let it come to that. Henry, he… he told me bits and pieces of what happened before I arrived, that you helped Regina to get better. I wish… I wish I could help but this place… it's so confusing. Anyways… I hope you'll be back on your feet soon, Graham."

Robin rose, ready to walk away when all of a sudden a strong hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back down. He was staring right into the dark blue eyes of the wolf, too shocked to say anything. He didn't need to, though, Graham was the one to tell him something. It was just two words but it seemed like these two words carried all the weight of the world.

"Save her." Robin gasped and pulled back, tumbling backwards and hitting the night table with the tray he'd gotten water from earlier. It hit the floor, the carafe and still half filled glass shattering into a thousand pieces on the ground.

The curtains of Henry's bed were pulled away with an upset doctor emerging behind them. The nurses came running out of the operation room as well, both curious to see what was going on.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," Robin apologized over and over, trying to clean the shards up himself, but was ushered away by the nurses who reassured him they would deal with it. "I'm… I wanted to… I… He…"

"You should really leave now, Mr. Locksley," Dr. Hopper told him, his tone leaving no room for any kind of argument. Robin nodded and fled hastily out of the hospital wing down the stairs, turned right, then left, then right until he didn't know where he was headed. This damned castle with all its hallways and stairways! God damn it, he cursed the day he came here - oh wait, that was today! Every hallway looked the same, Robin didn't even know in which part of the castle he was now. Screw it. Quickly he walked down two steps, pushed open a door and suddenly found himself outside in the gardens who were already fully dipped in the orange vanishing evening light.

The fresh air mixed with the easy smell of spring washed over him like a wave. Up until now he didn't realize how much he needed the fresh air, to wash away the smell of blood and hospital which clouded his mind still.

After closing the doors behind him, he heavily leaned back against the wooden wings, trying to catch his breath. Breathe in… and out. In… and out. Only when he wanted to wipe away the few drops of anxious sweat he felt running down the side of his head, he saw his finger was bleeding. He must have cut himself on the shattered glass which he'd tried to pick up with his bare hands. Damn it!  Thankfully there was a cotton handkerchief in his pocket which he wrapped tightly around his wounded finger to stop the bleeding.

The evening was quiet just like everything in this damned castle. The birds had stopped singing and it was too early for the nocturnal animals to show up. It was this time of the day that wrapped the world in complete silence. Even the wind was still, leaving the trees and the leaves to tend to themselves. Uncanny, yes, all of this was uncanny.

After the years in prison he thought nothing else could shock him - oh he'd seen more than a dozen cruel things happening behind the walls of Nottingham Prison every day, rape and torture being one of the lesser evils – but prison was nothing in comparison to this damned place with its crazy residents and even scarier owners. In prison, you figured out who owned the place, who to answer for, what to do and what not to do after a day. Here? Here all he managed to have after half a day was more questions than answers and for some reason he knew he wouldn't get any of the answers any time soon. God how was he supposed to stay nine months in this place?

Henry saw some kind of hero in him, thought he was Robin Hood who protected the helpless, who stole from the rich to give it to the poor, but he wasn't. He was a criminal, a former prisoner who had a lot to answer for. If the kid knew, he would see him with different eyes, he wouldn't think he was a hero but an insatiable coward who was responsible for his wife's death.

How was he supposed to save Regina, a woman he hadn't even talked to, a woman he'd only seen and admired from afar, someone he knew _nothing_ about? It was insane! Even Graham, someone he thought he'd figured out didn't seem to be who he pretended to be. Belle had reassured him he couldn't talk, that he was a wolf in his head and heart, but a few moments ago? He didn't seem like a wolf at all! Graham had talked to him even if it'd been just two words, this he would vouch for. Save her? Save Regina? Save her from what?

"Argh!" Robin's thoughts were running wild. There were too many questions and no answers to be given. Of all the places they could have sent him, they sent him here! Defeated, he slumped down on a bench behind the hedge of the rose garden, burying his face in his hands. The wound on his finger hurt, but right now he didn't care.

The night had almost everything into darkness when Robin finally forced himself to get back up. It'd become rather chilly here and he felt like he could really use some sleep after everything that happened. He was about to make his way back to the castle when something caught his eye on the meadow not far away from him. Just then he remembered the moment he was standing on the window, watching how one of the sisters dragged Regina back to the castle for supper. Her coat! She lost her coat earlier that day and no one felt responsible to retrieve it from the damp grass.

Determination spread through Robin's body when he got up and walked up the hill to pick up the woolen coat. The faint smell of apples, vanilla and something he couldn't quite depict caught in his nose, spread through his senses like a wildfire. It was calming but exciting at the same time and he had to refrain himself from holding the coat close to his face in order to catch more of her mesmerizing scent. He wrapped the coat into a tight ball, surprised when something golden caught his eye.

There wasn't much light left to see, but when a shimmer in the grass caught his eye, he curiously picked up the object which had fallen out of Regina's pocket. It was a ring, gold, shining, looking very new and barely worn. Counting on the size he was sure it was made for a woman's hand. Was it… a wedding ring? Was Regina married?

The ring must mean something to her, otherwise she wouldn't have carried it with her. But why lose it with the coat? A thought entered Robin's mind. Did she already know what would happen in the dining hall? Is that why she accidentally lost her coat, so she could make sure the ring wasn't taken from her?

As far as he knew and from what Tink had told him, the residents weren't allowed any kind of jewelry for safety reasons. If she'd somehow kept the ring it must be something very special to her. Robin held the ring closer to his face in order to read the engravings on the inside of the ring: _Amaberis Semper_  - _Daniel_.

Once again Robin cursed his little knowledge of Latin but he knew one thing for sure. Regina would get her coat and the ring back, that he would make sure of.

Xxxxx

Robin didn't know exactly how, but somehow he found his way back up to the tower where his room was located. He hid the coat underneath his jacket in case someone would come asking where he got it.

David and Killian were already lying in their beds, the former reading a book while the latter was snoring loudly. David looked up, a small smile on his face.

"There you are. We thought you got lost after the tumult in the dining hall."

"I helped Dr. Hopper and the nurses to bring Graham to the hospital wing." Robin kept his answer short. After all, he didn't know whether he could trust the man who held him back from helping Regina and Graham.

Sighing, David put his book aside and sat up in his bed, a hand ruffling through his hair. "Listen, Robin. I know you wanted to help tonight and I'm sorry we held you back. But there are a lot of things you don't understand yet -"

"Then tell me!" Robin hissed, desperately trying to keep his voice down in order to not wake Killian. "They took that woman. Why? What are they going to do to her? David you can't sit around here while people are getting hurt!"

"I'm not!" David explained firmly. "But you have to remind yourself that all these people here have mental problems. A lot of them are very, _very_ dangerous and our doctors are doing the best they can in order to help them. I don't know what Regina did wrong, Mary Margaret wouldn't tell me…"

"Who is Mary Margaret?" Robin wondered but the second he asked he'd already figured out the answer. "She is Snow, isn't she?"

"You've been talking to Henry?" David asked surprised.

"Yeah, he seems to be the only person who actually talks to me in this godforsaken place!" He kicked the chest in front of his bed with his foot wincing.

"Henry is… special."

Robin raised an eyebrow at the comment, his lips pressed into a thin line. "He warned me this would happen right before his attack. He knew Snow… Mary Margaret was responsible for this."

"She… It wasn't her fault, Robin."

"From what I gather, she is the reason why Regina was taken by these men and Dr. Haggard - and they're doing God only knows what to her somewhere where she can't be helped. She is all by herself, she is alone, she is helpless," he yelled now, not caring whether Killian would wake up or not.

"Why do you care so much about her? You haven't even talked to her," David asked, his gaze wandering over to his work mate's bed.

"Because… I… I don't know. I just can't see an innocent being punished!"

"Yeah well perhaps she is not as innocent as you might think! Just because she's pretty and small doesn't mean she's an innocent! She's an angel of death, Robin!" Robin's eyes widened in shock as David continued. "She's here because she killed her father and her fiancé and because she was lucky they declared her mentally ill in front of the court otherwise she would be rotting in prison for the rest of her life now! If I were you I'd be careful who you declare an innocent just because you apparently have a crush on her. Regina is a coldblooded murderer and if you ask me, she deserves every punishment she can get! So next time get your facts straight before you start assuming things!" Angrily, David turned around in his bed, demonstratively shutting out the light on his bedside table, leaving a stunned Robin almost completely in the dark if it weren't for the lit candle next to the door.

This information was… a surprise, one that made his stomach clench and mouth go dry. She was… she was a murderer? The cold metal of the ring he'd stuffed into his pocket weighed heavily against his hip now. Daniel. Had he been her fiancé?

Robin pulled her cloak out from under his jacket and stuffed it into the chest at the foot of his bed.

_Calm down, Robin, calm down. You don't know the circumstances under which this happened. Perhaps it was an accident. You killed your wife. You're a murderer as well. That doesn't make you a bad person, right? Right? Maybe there… maybe there is more to the story. Until you don't know what happened, you don't know…_ It was his mantra until he'd gotten rid of his clothes and fallen into bed, too exhausted to wash himself and clean himself up for the night. He would ge a shower in the morning, until then, he would try not to get insane.


	5. The Parrilla

(5)

Robin spent his next week at Misthaven by helping David with the gardens. The days were growing warmer and warmer and soon spring would be arriving in its full beauty. Dry branches were picked with green and pink buds; the snowbells slowly gave way to the crocuses and daffodils. There was a lot to do now even though many afternoons were filled with rain, and one time even a bit of hail.

The lawn had to be mowed for the first time, the remnants of old leaves which had gathered up in corners over the winter had to be removed. Beds had to be dug over and new bulbs had to be planted. It had taken them a full two days to get the vegetable patch ready, to mix the earth with horse dung from a nearby farm. Granny had thanked them with a small piece of sponge cake, which both men had accepted gratefully and had been promised more once the seeds had to be planted.

 After their argument on the evening of his first night, Robin and David hadn't spoken much. They were civil toward the other but a bit wary when it came to sharing personal information. It was nothing new for Robin as he'd spent years in prison where every ounce of weakness was used against you. Still, they got along.

Killian seemed oblivious to all of it, whether it was because he didn't want to get dragged into something he was no part of or because he was just not interested wasn't clear. He kept on chatting and slipping each of them his rum flask from time to time late in the evening when they were sure nobody was watching. How he got the rum, was still a secret to Robin.

It was another thing that Robin disapproved of, the constant feeling of being watched, of never being completely alone. Wherever he went, he could feel a pair of eyes on him, even though every time he turned around there was no one to be seen. For the time being he tried to ignore it and linked it to the fact that he was a convicted criminal. Of course the nuns would be a bit wary of the new worker who came fresh out of prison.

Except for Belle and Tink, Robin hadn't had much contact with any of the other nuns. They mostly kept to themselves, seemed busy with caring for the patients and heading out to mass two times a day, as well as the daily recital of the rosary in the afternoon two hours before dinner. Most of them were working with the patients in small groups every day with a tight schedule. Those who could were brought into the library after breakfast every morning, so Belle could read something to them. Even though she knew some didn't understand the stories because they were too far gone, she loved to read to her patients, hoping that her stories were still an escape from the harsh reality they were living in. Tink enjoyed her daily drawing lessons with the patients after lunch. Those who were able to hold a brush or a pencil could draw. There was one young man who had shocked Robin, but then piqued his interest, because instead of with his hands, he was drawing with his feet, which seemed to be his second pair of hands. His name was Tarzan and his story - like most stories of the residents - a sad one.

He'd been found by well-known Professor Porter years ago in the African Jungle. The expedition had been to investigate the behavior and family bonds of gorillas, but when they'd found a young man living with them, playing with them, talking to them, he'd soon become the new focus of the project. They'd taken him to England, had put him into human clothes, tried to teach him English, but the man had been confused and much like Graham, started to attack the people. Tarzan had been admitted to Misthaven after accidentally killing the daughter of the Professor, a young woman named Jane, who according to Tink had been the only one to tame him and the only one he'd listened to. Robin found the man who didn't speak to be quite artistic, his pictures, while sometimes a bit abstract, always showing the face of a young beautiful woman. Jane.

There were a lot of untold stories in Misthaven. Many were misunderstood, told wrong. It was sometimes hard to differentiate between reality and invention when every day he got to know a new one that seemed more spectacular than the other.

Xxxxx

On Sunday, Robin had his first day off. It was nice to sleep until eight o'clock for once after all the hard work of the past week. When he awoke David just came back into the room from taking a shower. Killian was still snoring on his bed, making the two men grin at each other for the first time in seven days.

"Tink is gonna kill him if he's late for mass once again - and if she smells the rum in his breath she's going to make him clean the pit latrine of the patients for a week."

"I'm awake!" Killian yelled and shot up in his bed. The others just laughed.

After mass and lunch, as well as helping the other employees to bring the patients back to their rooms since the nuns and some other patients were attending confession, Robin made his way up to the hospital wing.

He knocked softly at the door, anticipating the answer of one of the nurses or Dr. Hopper. He'd visited Henry every evening since he was admitted to the hospital wing after his outburst a week ago. The young boy preferred him reading the bedtime stories to him instead one of the nurses and he thought as long as he could make the boy happy, he would turn up. Only yesterday Dr. Hopper had told him his little friend would be released from the hospital wing tomorrow, so Robin had promised Henry to pick him up and escort him to his room. However, it was not the doctor but a woman with light blonde long hair in a dark brown knee length dress with tiny white polka dots and a black belt who answered the door. Her smile was shy and the look of exhaustion from her tired and teary eyes made her look fragile in Robin's opinion. The way she dressed surprised him. She wasn't a nun, nor a nurse and she clearly didn't belong to the staff since they were either wearing black or dark blue clothing. Her neat look made Robin wonder what she was doing here. The patients weren't allowed to wear anything but white, light grey or blue, so she must be…

"May I help you, Sir?" her voice was soft but firm and her eyes mustered him curiously. She almost looked wary of him, her demeanor slightly defensive as he took a step forward in order to enter the room.

"I'm here for Henry," Robin answered. Her eyes widened in panic and the white of her knuckles stuck out by the mention of the boy's name. Robin could see how she was trying to control herself, immediately disliking how frightened she seemed of him.

"Mom?" a familiar voice behind the woman asked aloud. "Who is it?"

She closed her eyes, however Robin was still able to see the pain that flashed up. "It's me, Henry," he answered as she stepped aside to let him in. The boy was sitting on his bed dressed in a white shirt and gray slacks. He cheered as he saw his friend arrive, waving him over. His mother followed him silently.

"Mom, this is my friend Robin!" Henry explained excitedly. "Robin, this is my mom Emma." It was only when she heard his name fall that Emma let out a sigh of relief, a real smile gracing her face. She held out a hand, which he took and squeezed carefully.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Swan."

"Please call me Emma," the woman answered genuinely, a hint of red color finally coming back to her cheeks. "It's nice to finally meet the man my son hasn't stopped talking about ever since I came here. Thank you for taking care of him."

"It's my pleasure." Just then Robin realized that Sunday meant visitation day for all the patients of the asylum. It was half past three and the restricted visitation hours - from three until five pm - were a bit short cut for him. Emma was the first guest he'd seen here today. Shouldn't be more people coming to see their loved ones?

With a pang of guilt Robin asserted that maybe there were people who didn't have any loved ones left, that he was one of these people. Nobody had ever come to visit him in prison. Marian was dead, her family resented him and he hadn't been in contact with his family ever since he was a teenager. Nobody wanted to visit a prisoner, so why would anyone want to visit someone in this prison?

The door behind them opened for the second time. It was Dr. Hopper who slipped inside, a friendly slime on his face, waving at them with a slip of paper. "Good afternoon Henry! Emma." He acknowledged Henry's mother with a short but genuine nod and a cut smile in Robin's direction. "Look what I have here. You're getting out today."

Henry cheered, jumping off the bed grabbing his storybook. "Come on, let's go outside!" He grabbed Robin's hand and dragged him along.

"I'll be with you in a moment," Emma called before turning toward Dr. Hopper while Henry and Robin made their way outside.

Emma watched her son leave with the man who'd been her son's refuge for the past week after his fit, reading to him, talking to him… everything she couldn't do herself, because she hadn't been notified. Her face hardened as she turned toward Dr. Hopper who seemed to be watching her carefully.

"My son had an attack. He's been in here for a whole week and was not allowed to leave even though he told me he felt better three days ago!"

"That's not why you're angry," Dr. Hopper stated calmly and once again she hated that the man could see right through her.

"I wasn't notified. I was here last week. You know I'm staying at the inn every Sunday night because the last train to London leaves at six and I can't make it to the train station by foot in under an hour. One call, Dr. Hopper! It would have been _one_ call!" Emma was furious, her eyes spitting fire at the doctor who tried to calm her down.

"Emma, believe me I would have called, but I wasn't allowed to do so. Dr. Gold…"

"That son of a bitch," she yelled.

"There was nothing you could have done anyway. They wouldn't have let you back into Misthaven."

"But I would have been with him! I would have been there for him!" Her voice sounded desperate now and all she wanted was to cry. When she'd arrived here and been told her son was to be found in the hospital wing, she'd thought the worst. But when she entered and Henry had wrapped his arms around her in a cheerful hug, telling her he was much, much better now and that she hopefully hadn't worried too much… she'd cried.

"Without wanting to sound rude, but you have about an hour and a half left with your boy. Don't waste it fighting with me," Dr. Hopper advised her without any malice and as much as she would like to continue yelling at him, she restrained herself. He was right. Time with Henry was precious and she shouldn't waste it yelling at a man who was just a puppet anyway. There was only one person in this whole goddamned asylum that deserved her wrath.

She took the slip of paper from him and left without saying goodbye.

Xxxxx

Henry had dragged Robin out to the rose garden and asked him to play a round of tag. After a whole week in a hospital bed, all he wanted to do was run around and enjoy the warm caress of the sun, so who was Robin to deny the boy his grand wish? He tried to catch him, ran slower than usually so the kid had a chance, but at the same time he was surprised how fast the boy was. Of course he had to be careful that Henry wouldn't exhaust himself too much, but it was good to see his cheeks all red from running rather than white from sickness and the darkness of the hospital wing. It was a pity such a clever and sweet boy like him had to spend his childhood in the asylum, away from his family and his parents.

From what he'd seen he wondered why exactly Emma had admitted Henry to Misthaven. Was it just because of his attacks? Or was it because she wasn't able to care for him? Henry didn't seem to loathe his mom; in fact, the boy seemed to love her. But were children this young really able to hate their parents, even if they damned them to a lifetime in an asylum?

The thought of children left a bitter taste in his mouth. Marian had always dreamt of a big family… and now she was dead. Because of him.

Emma joined them but ten minutes later. "Don't exhaust yourself, Henry," she yelled half joking, half serious.

"I won't, Mom! I just missed the sun and the air and the grass… and you of course," he added grinning, running up to her while hugging her tight. She hugged him back, leaned down to press a kiss onto the top of his head and ruffled his hair.

"I'm glad you're better. Hey, how about you go to the swing set over there and I'll talk to Robin for a moment. We will be right there to push you, okay?"

"Awesome!" Henry cheered, then he ran up to the not far off oak tree which had a makeshift swing out of two ropes and a piece of wood attached to its lowest branch. "I'll go so high I will finally manage a loop!"

"Not with my consent, Mister!" Emma laughed as she stood there watching her boy.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two adults as they watched the child swinging higher and higher, laughing every time gravity pulled him back down. It was a sweet picture, really. For one moment Robin could have mistaken the place for a park where mothers went with their children in the afternoon. He should go, leave the little visitation time they had to them. He could see Henry any time he liked, but Emma couldn't. There was pain in her gaze, worry. Tiny wrinkles framed her forehead and corners of her mouth, making her look much older than she probably really was.

"I owe you a thank you," the blonde finally sighed before she looked directly up at Robin.

"I didn't do anything," he reassured her with a smile, but Emma shook her head.

"He told me how you brought him to the hospital wing and how you came to read to him every night, because you do the voices right. You and Sister Belle are the only ones to get the voices right it seems. I'm serious, Robin. It means a lot to me that you were looking out for my son when I was not here."

"I only arrived last Sunday afternoon and then the attack happened while he was baking cookies with Granny in the kitchen. I've never seen anything like this happening."

"It's terrifying," Emma admitted sadly. "I wish I could help him somehow."

"I don't want to intrude, but…"

"Then don't!" She answered sharply, before she bit her lip and her eyes went down to the ground. "I'm sorry. People judge so easily around here and… I'm not a bad mother."

"I didn't think you were. Henry told me you're living in London. It's a long travel up here every weekend - for just two hours of visitation. I haven't seen any relatives of the other patients around here." Robin turned back toward the castle, but except for three patients who were sitting on benches in the rose garden, there was no one nearby.

"It _is_ a long way up here. It's six hours on the train and I have to sleep in Granny's inn in town every Sunday night because the last train leaves the station at six o'clock. I stay as long as I can with Henry every time I visit, but then I don't make it back to town in time. It's a long way - little less than four miles, which takes me about an hour. I rather take the train back at eight in the morning and cherish the five minutes I might have longer with my son."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to get a cab?"

Emma bit her lip. "All my money is spent on the train tickets, Robin. I really can't afford two additional cab rides - and granny lets me stay and eat at her inn for free if I help with the housekeeping."

"I didn't know she owned an inn," he hummed amused. The old lady was full of surprises. It bothered him a little that Emma had to go through such lengths to visit her son every weekend. Money seemed to be an issue - who was he kidding, money was _always_ an issue. "But wouldn't it be easier to move here permanently instead of staying in London?"

"I can't go because of my job. It's… difficult."

"It sounds difficult."

"Nothing I want to share with a stranger on out first meeting - even though he is nice to my son." She didn't mean it in a bad way, he could tell, but for the moment Robin was glad neither her nor Henry actually knew about his past as a convicted criminal. Hopefully it would stay this way. He liked Emma. She was one of the few people he actually felt like he could talk to. Even though he knew he couldn't share everything with her, she seemed like a tough woman who'd suffered greatly in her life but been able to pick herself back up.

"So what brings you to Misthaven, Robin?" There it was, the question of all questions.

He put on his cheekiest smile. "Nothing I want to share with a stranger on our first meeting - even if I'm nice to her son."

"I like your humor," Emma laughed.

"Mom! Come on, I think I need your help with the loop! Robin, you, too!"

The two adults looked at each other, each of them having reached a silent agreement that they were not yet sure they could trust each other but that they were on common ground. Together, they walked over to Henry and pushed him on the swing. Never too forceful, never too strong, because they didn't want him to get hurt while doing the loop. In the end, Henry was a bit disappointed they didn't manage the loop, but he was happy he had a great time with his mother.

It was just after five as Belle approached the three of them outside, a genuine smile on her face. Emma didn't seem to be happy about it at all as the brunette approached them.

"Henry, it's so good to see you up and about. You missed a lot of readings last week, but I saved you the book so you can have it with you in your room. I hope you have recovered well?"

Henry nodded but didn't seem all too excited about it. "Does my mom have to go now?"

Belle sighed, ruffling Henry's hair. "You know very well she does, Henry. It's ten past five already and you know the rules."

"Can't we just please have five more minutes?" Henry whined, scooting closer to his mother who hugged him against her tight.

It was Emma who finally gave in, having fought the fight for what it felt like thousand times. She knew she had to go; otherwise there would be trouble. Robin could see how hard she was trying to hold back the tears, which seemed quite hard as Henry's face was streamed with tears already.

"Please Mommy. I want you to stay."

Slowly Emma knelt down in front of him, hugging her boy close, missing him already even when he was still in her arms. "I'm sorry, Henry. I'll be back before you know it. You'll only have to sleep seven times."

"But…"

"Shush. No tears. You must be strong, Henry. Remember, you're my hero!" She kissed his forehead, then each cheek before pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. "I love you, baby boy."

Henry was holding back the sobs as well as he could for a ten year old. Robin walked up next to him, laying his hand onto the boy's shoulder. It surprised him that Henry turned around and hugged his side, now crying into the fabric of Robin's black shirt.

"Take care of him please," Emma whispered, before she turned toward Belle, who was trying to reach for her elbow. "I can walk myself thank you very much."

"Emma… You know the rules."

"Bring me to Gold. Now." Belle was about to say something, but the blonde shut her up with another dead cold "Now!"

Robin watched them leave, confused about Emma's demand. What did she have to do with Dr. Gold? Why would Belle obey her wishes? Things got more and more confusing here at Misthaven. He held the boy tight, not caring that he could already feel how his wet shirt was sticking to his tight. If he could provide comfort for the poor child who was locked up here in the asylum all by himself, only seeing his mother for two hours a week, then he would do it. 

After a few moments, Henry looked up at him, his eyes red from crying and his face tear streaked.

"Have you managed to find Regina yet?"

"I'm sorry buddy, but I haven't." It was something he'd promised Henry, that he would look for Regina, that he would save her. Regina, who seemed to have been swallowed from the surface of the asylum ever since Gold and Haggard had taken her last Sunday at supper. No one would tell him where she went; no one would give him a clue. His attempts to look for her had been nipped in the bud, while his questions had remained unanswered.

Every night once he was sure David and Killian were asleep, Robin pulled out the ring that he always kept close to his body. After all, he couldn't trust the people here not to search through his things. _Amaberis Semper - Daniel_. You'll always be loved - Daniel. Her fiancé, the man she was supposed to have killed along with her father. But why would she keep the ring? Was it a reminder of what she'd done? That was after all, why he'd kept Marian's wedding ring. There were more questions than answers, more lies than truth and no one; no one seemed to be willing to help him. It was frustrating.

Just now he felt the dead weight of the ring in his pocket. Where was she? And what were they doing to her?

Xxxxx

It was like one of those mornings when winter gives away to spring, when you forget to close the lids or curtains in front of your window and the sun makes its way into your room with its warm rays of light that tickle your face, make you scrunch up your nose and bury your face deeper into the pillow, so you can sleep just five minutes longer. Just five, and if you're lucky, maybe six, eight, nine, ten more seconds. It's this moment when you feel your lover next to you is awake as well, when he wraps his warm arms around you and pulls you close. Right into his comfortable embrace under the blanket, which seems just like it's made for you. Only you. You grumble something, scoot closer and enjoy how he nuzzles your neck the way he knows makes you smile. He loves it, to see you smile, to make you grin like an idiot because he knows you're not asleep. You're wide awake, waiting for this moment. If this were all real, he would kiss you on the forehead and tell you "It's time to get up, my love…". If this were real, you would ask him to let you sleep "just five minutes longer…". If this were real, he would chuckle, press a kiss to the side of your head and would let you have your five more minutes in which you wish you could stay in bed forever.

The emphasis lies on 'if'. _If_ all this were happening. It's only that whatever tickled her nose couldn't be the sun. She had no windows in her cell, no pillow, no bed, no blanket, certainly no lover. No, she hadn't seen real light in what felt like weeks - or was it just a few hours? She couldn't tell, because it felt like this was the first time her mind was actually aware of what happened around her. All she’d felt ever since she came down here was pain. Never ending pain. It was a huge difference from the numbness she'd felt for months, however now she really preferred the numbness to the pain. So something inside of her decided to hold onto the illusion just a bit longer, tried to pretend it was the sun that was caressing her face; that her head was resting on a feather pillow, not on her hands on the cold hard ground; that she wasn't freezing. Her back was aching from lying on the ground, every position she was in felt uncomfortable. The ceiling of her cell was so low she couldn't even sit up straight, because her head would bump against the gratings above her. All she could do was crawl - three feet to the right and left and eight feet from the front to the back. Something brushed against her forehead again; something soft and definitely alive. Regina hoped it was a mouse. She could live with the living mice they threw into her prison, but she knew something else would follow and right now she hoped for everything but the snakes because the last one almost choked her after being stuck in there with her without food. She remembered the cold dry skin, smooth as a pillow, how it crept up her legs, how it wound around her, until it was at her throat, its tongue sizzling her ear. A fearful sigh escaped her. Please let it be anything - anything but snakes. 

She didn't know whether she went back to sleep for a while or whether her mind had just gone wandering off once again, when there were steps in front of her cell. Heavy steps, steps she knew all too well. The door was pushed open, but no light fell inside. Regina remained on the ground with her eyes closed, hoping if she stayed this way the bull would go away again. She wasn't that lucky though, and couldn't help but flinch when she felt a hand grip into her hair and pull her out roughly. It felt weird to be dragged into a standing position, even weirder to have gained consciousness and actually be aware of her surroundings.

The man guided her down the corridor into a brightly lit room, well, he rather dragged her while she stumbled there after him. Walking felt good, using her feet and standing up straight did wonders for her back, but the light that engulfed her, hurt. It hurt her eyes, her skin, just everything. She wasn't used to light anymore, had to close her eyes and put a hand in front of them to shield them.

"Ah, Miss Mills," a familiar voice greeted her, making bile rise in her throat. She wanted to go, wanted to leave, but she couldn't see where she was going as she was stumbling back right into the arms of someone who held her in position with a tight grip.

"No need to be afraid, Miss Mills. I was wondering if you enjoyed the past two weeks with your new animal friends. We were a bit worried when our lovely python reticulatus was about to make you her next meal and almost succeeded with choking you. Sacrificia pro scientiam adducimus." She could hear Gold smile as he said it, could hear the satisfaction in his voice. "Of course we stepped in before our lovely reticula succeeded to harm you. After all, I have a promise to keep…"

There was silence that followed for a moment, before someone behind her cleared his throat. Regina tried to look, but the light was still too blinding for her eyes to adjust properly after weeks of darkness surrounding her.

"Lift your arms over your head."

She didn't, kept her arms tightly pressed to her body. Even though she couldn't see, she wouldn't go down without a fight, not when she knew what they were doing.

"Don't make us, Regina," Gold's voice explained calmly as two strong hands roughly fastened around her wrists.

"Would you like me to break her arm?"

"Non necessum est, Taurus," Gold smiled.

"Quid faciam?"

"Oboeditur et isti ades. Regina. Lift your arms over your heard so we can proceed."

While Dr. Gold was talking, an incredible force in the form of Taurus' hands yanked her arms straight above her head, while she could feel someone else pulling up the linen of her makeshift dress. Panic consumed her as she squirmed, tried to kick the person who was lifting her dress, but the bull's hold on her was too strong.

She stood there, naked in front of the men's prying eyes, which she couldn't see, since the light was still too bright for her. Perhaps it was better this way, perhaps it was better how she wouldn’t see the bulls licking their lips at the sight of her nipples, which had become hard due to the cold.

As the dress was ripped off her in an insensitive manner, the bull finally let go of her wrists. She wrapped her arms around her naked frame immediately, trying to hide her breasts behind them. Not that anyone cared. Regina felt herself pushed forward, stumbled, almost fell, but was caught on the shoulder by two strong hands, who guided her toward something which felt like a metal table on which she was roughly pushed. It was cold, smelled like penicillin. Her whole body was shivering as she lay down on the table, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to breathe normally.

Even though she made a weak attempt to resist - she always did, or always at least tried once because she knew it was in vain - her hands were buckled up with heavy leather buckles, as was her throat, her waist and both her feet. Something cool was attached to both sides of her head electrodes - while metal clamps were attached to her nipples. It hurt, pinched her skin, and made her whimper and just wish for it all to stop before it even started.

As she felt two rough hands moving up her tights, ready to spread her legs apart, she squirmed and whimpered, whined and tried everything in order to keep her legs closed together but as always, she had to give in. Regina had to feel her legs being forced apart, a helpless ' _please no!_ ' escaping her dry throat, followed by a high pitched scream as two clamps were attached to her labia. She wanted to beg, beg them so badly not to do this to her, that she'd been through enough, but it wouldn't help. It never did. Two tears escaped her eyes, rolling down on each side of her head right into her ear. She wanted to die.

"She's prepared, Doctors," the bull said before he stepped aside.

"Look at me," Gold whispered. His scrawny finger was tracing her cheek, making her feel sick. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't open her eyes. The light was just too blinding and hurting. Days - or had it been weeks? - in the darkness had made her retinas too sensitive. "Look. At. Me."

"I can't." It wasn't more than a soft whimper. During her time in Misthaven, Regina had experienced different kinds of pain. There was physical pain and emotional pain - all on different parts of her body, all hurting, all unique, all leaving a scar on her body and soul. Some were worse than others, she had to admit, but some depended on the consistency. Her body was traumatized after years of torture, as was her mind. She knew the long period of being forced to swallow different pills and injections had made her somewhat numb in her reception of pain and sometimes she wondered how she was even able to remember her own name. Regina Mills. The only child of Henry and Cora Mills. Beloved daughter. Murderer.

For years she'd simply wished for one thing, the thing that was never granted, always taken away from her when she felt like she'd just grasped its hands. The hands of death. He never came though there was always something to pull her back into the world of the living. A world she despised, hated with all her being, a world she desperately wanted to escape. It was a world filled with pain. 

But this pain -  it was different. To be honest, it started off pleasantly at first, a soft tickling on her body, almost as if someone was trying to make her laugh. Not that she could though, not in this situation when she was strapped against a metal frame. Not when she knew her wellbeing was the last thing on the doctors' minds. The tickling she could deal with, but Regina knew this was just the warm-up.

She peeked one eye open, watching how Gold carefully noted something down on a notepad, scribbling like he always did when they were performing one of their experiments on her. It was Dr. Haggard she was more afraid of. The man was reckless when it came to his scientific experiments and there were quite a few times Regina could remember where Gold had to hold him back from overdoing it. From killing her. A soft sigh escaped her mouth oh how she wished he had. They wouldn't though, at least not yet because they needed her alive, had explained to her why it was important to have her breathing. It didn't matter if she became insane as long as she was alive. That's why they were watching her carefully, had prevented every single one of her attempts at suicide and instead chosen to use her for their experiments.  

Apparently the two doctors mistook the sigh for the patient getting accustomed to the gentle buzzing of electricity through her. It was then that the tickling turned into a peeking that it made Regina feel uncomfortable. She squirmed against her restrains, but they were too tight, there was no space to move as much as a finger.

The constant flow of electricity didn't lessen. It didn't take long for the peeking to turn into needle stings, spreading all over her body, but even worse, her head and the parts where the electrodes were fastened. It wasn't like the headaches she usually had, the ones where someone was trying to hammer a sheet with nails into her head, it was worse. But she promised herself to keep it together, to not give them the satisfaction of breaking - even though she knew she'd been broken by what happened a long time ago.

"Where can you feel the pain?" A familiar voice asked. Haggard.

"Everywhere."

"No particular spot that hurts more than the others?" She didn't answer but heard the scratching of a pencil on paper. "Describe the pain."

"Stop."

"Describe the pain," Haggard repeated.

"Please… it's like needles. Needles everywhere. They sting. My head is hurting." She pressed her tights together, but realized it only worsened the feeling.

"Raise the voltage of the control box."

Just a second after he gave the order, waves of pain were shooting through her body. Her whole body jumped up at the jolts of electricity and she tried to move away, tried to twist herself out of the bonds which were holding her in order to avoid contact with the burning, but the restraints were too strong. Shaking was all she could do, shaking and screaming and whimpering. The places where the electrodes were attached to her head felt as if a thunderbolt was trying to shatter her head into pieces.

Stop, Regina needed them to stop. She'd long since stopped trying not to scream, could feel tears wallowing down her face, which for some strange reason intensified the shocks even more. Why did they do this, why wouldn't they stop? Why couldn't they just kill her and be done with it? She was screaming now, screaming so loud she wondered if her vocal cords would rip at some point. They didn't stop, just intensified the shock therapy. There she had her answer.

Her whole body was hurting in a way she'd never felt before, her head was hurting the worst, but the other places did not feel much differently. Almost as bad as her head - or even worse - were the electrodes that were attached to her labia. Her inside was pulsating, but not pleasantly. Pain, overwhelming pain. Each clamp and electrode was driving crystals into her, which all seemed to break, shatter, splinter, causing even more pain if that was even possible. They were cutting her from the inside. Maybe it was time, maybe they would finally do it, maybe they would kill her and be done with it, release her into sweet nothingness and let her tortured body and soul rest in peace. 

Once again she realized death was a kind of mercy that was given to many people, just not to her. After a while - it could have been ten minutes or two hours; she couldn't tell - the shocks died down, stopped, making her screams die with them. At one point during the torture she must have opened her eyes, since she was now staring into a bright lamp and white ceiling which made her retina hurt. Her muscles were still performing an uncontrollable train of spasms. How she wished she could just roll up into a fetal position right now and wait until everything was over. The pain, which was still clearly present was so excruciating, she couldn't even scream or groan or move.

Regina could taste blood in her mouth, however the smell of burnt flesh was even worse. It took a moment before a shadow clouded her blurry vision, before four strong hands cut her loose and someone dragged her body up into a sitting position.

She was paralyzed, couldn't even swallow down the bits of water someone was trying to make her drink despite the fact she was thirsty like never before in her life. It dripped out of the corners of her mouth, ran down her chin, just to fall onto her naked chest. Her mouth was so dry, her tongue stuck to her palate. Something was mumbled and the attempts to make her drink something stopped.

They examined her body, mumbled things in a specific jargon she couldn't make out as her brain was trying to fight unconsciousness. The electrodes were removed, as were the clamps, and her gown was dragged over her body. They didn't bother to put her arms through the sleeves, as one of the bulls waited for Dr. Gold to give his okay to lift her up and throw her over his shoulder.

Regina choked, tried to vomit, but because of the lack of food and water her attempts failed miserably. The moment her head hit the back of the bull, she finally lost the fight against consciousness and embraced the welcome darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It has been a while… but here's the update I know many of you have been waiting for. I'll be introducing a new resident and I'm super curious what you'll think of her. She's a bit of a crossover of two characters ;) Thanks so much to Miles, Zoe and Shay and as always to my wonderful beta waterbaby ♥
> 
> Enjoy a bit of insanity…

 

(6)

When she'd asked Belle to bring her to Gold, Emma had thought they would take the stairs up to his office in the tower. Instead, Belle led her down the corridor toward the former dungeons of the castle; a place she knew was closed to the public, if not forbidden. Years ago, back when she was 18 and had fallen in love with a thief who later became the father of her child, he'd taken her out on a date, smuggled them into the Tower of London. Emma had never been one for history, but Neal had been fascinated by the historic castle at the bank of the river Thames, its tales and of course the fact it hosted the crown jewels. All day he'd speculated about seeing the ghost of Anne Boleyn and at one point he'd joked of how to steal the Tower's treasure. She'd laughed it off, told him he was crazy but Neal had just kissed her and pointed at a necklace telling her it would match with her gorgeous eyes. Good time, it'd been good times.

But the good times were over, had been over way too soon, and all she thought of now was when they'd walked down the stairs to the cells that day, her hand in his, telling her to be careful and not slip. The way downstairs here in Mist Haven was quite similar. It was less wet, that was for sure, but it was just as poorly lit and made her feel more than uncomfortable. Down here, no one would hear her scream. They passed a wooden door at the end of the stairs that was locked from the inside. Belle knocked three times before a tall, very muscular and angry looking man opened a small window.

"We are here to see the Doctor," Belle smiled, her voice not faltering, while Emma just scooted a small step closer, wondering if it had been a good idea to demand seeing Gold after all. She needed to though; she was sick and tired of having her son for only three hours each weekend, of not being informed about his medical status, for…

"Who is she?!" the man asked nodding in her direction with obvious distrust.

"Tell Gold Emma Swan is here to see him." The thoughts of her son provided Emma with the confidence to confront the man in front of her, whoever he thought she was. Said person seemed to estimate her for a moment, calculating what to do, but when she'd mentioned her name there'd been a flicker of recognition in his eyes, so he finally opened up the door with a grunt and let her inside. Her head turned to Belle, but the nun stayed where she was, just said her goodbyes and turned back toward the stairs. An uneasy feeling spread in Emma's stomach, her hands clenching into fists so hard she could almost feel her skin burst from the force.

The man lead her further down the corridor, along closed thick metal doors that swallowed most of the noise of whoever was behind it. Just when they wanted to round the corner, the man stopped, pressing Emma into the wall right beside him. She hit her head against the stone, hissed, ready to yell what the hell was going on, but she lost her voice when two men in white coats rounded the corner, dragging a hysterically laughing woman in a straitjacket along with them. She was tall, her blonde hair felted into dirty strands, but what shocked Emma most were her eyes. They looked like they were… on fire. Crazy. Treacherous. With her voice shrill and ear-splitting, disrupted by disturbing hissing and spitting sounds, growls that made Emma think of a monster and not a person, she didn't know whether she should be shocked when the woman caught her eyes and stopped dead in her tracks. Her grin revealed two dangerously sharp and edgy fangs that made Emma shudder and wonder whose throat she'd slit with them. Before the men could drag the woman any further, she spit in Emma's direction, tried to break free from the hold of the men and when she couldn't, her high pitched scream turned into laughter once more, revealing a tongue whose tip was split into two.

"Keep that Dragon Bitch under control, guys!" The man who'd still pressed Emma into the wall shouted while wiping his face - the woman must have obviously gotten to him with her spit.

"I'm going to make you pay," she hissed with a threateningly sultry voice that just didn't fit her persona at all, and in that moment she really reminded Emma of a dragon with her tongue and teeth and eyes and _smile_. "I'll burn you to the ground, I will rip your throat out and bathe in your blood. I will make you scream!" With a loud growl she lunged at the man on her left hand side, her fangs going right for his gorge. She was met with his fist instead, yelped in surprise when it hit her into the cheek but still managed to gouge her teeth into the side of his hand.

"You fucking bitch!" The man yelled, ripping his hand away from her, but she didn't let go, instead ended up with a piece of skin that she spat to the ground with the blood. Finally, the man who'd been standing in front of Emma - for a moment the thought crossed her mind that he'd been protecting her from the woman - jumped into action by taking the place of his wounded colleague, the force he used on the 'Dragon Bitch' making Emma flinch.

"Gold's office is around the corner, last door on the right," he told her angrily before he turned to his colleague. "Let's bring that monster back to her cell."

They left Emma alone, dragging the still struggling and hissing, blood spitting woman along behind them. Once they vanished behind a corner and Emma was finally alone, she let out a deep breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. This… This woman had scared her. Her hands were shaking and her whole body was trembling. Who was she? Were there more like her down here? Now the seclusion of this tract made more sense but also woke more unease inside of her. Her son was in here. Her baby was living upstairs and there were people like _her her her_ down here! What had happened to her and for heaven's sake, what made her do this?

The answer was simple, probably too simple and she loathed the fact she knew the answer to her questions the moment she'd asked them. There was only one person who would do this to someone, only one person who could turn people into what she'd just witnessed. Gold.

In order to gain back control of her body, Emma continued to lean against the wall, taking deep breaths - in and out and in and out - until she felt like she could face the man she'd originally come to see. She should have thought this through more, should not have demanded to see him down here. Nobody knew she was here except for Belle and maybe Robin, but as much as she liked how Belle treated Henry, she knew that if something happened, the nun would not do anything to help her. Robin would, maybe, because he liked Henry, but he could just be told that she left.

_Get it together, Swan!_ Emma told herself. One last deep breath and she pushed herself off the wall, head up high, trying to create the aura of confidence she had around her when she'd demanded to see Gold in the first place. Down the hall and the last door on the right was what the man had told her and that was where she went.

The door was only ajar, gave in slightly as she knocked and swung open when she slightly pushed against it to stick her head inside. Emma was greeted by bright, clean light from a ceiling lamp that stretched fully across the office from one side to another. It seemed necessary, since all she could see were walls and maybe one pretty dark looking gated cellar window that didn't let any light inside. Right now, she didn't even know on which side of the asylum she was situated.

Carefully, the blonde stepped inside, giving her new surroundings a dubitable look. The room felt… overstuffed with things, as if she'd stepped into a pawnshop. An overfilled desk with an uncomfortable looking wooden chair was located in the middle of the room right on the opposite side of the wall. A blackboard hung right behind it, filled with scribbles and mathematic formulas Emma had no idea what to make of. Along the east side of the wall she could make out multiple fully stacked filing cabinets right underneath DaVinci's Vitruvian Man and a few other, quite similar looking posters.

The west side of the room drew her attention however and made her swallow down bile the moment she realized what it was. Jars. Jars and jars and jars filled with obscure things, some of which she could make out and some of which she didn't even want to know. There was something that definitely looked like a brain, one was filled with bright blue eyes - god they looked so real it made her shudder - and then there were… animals. Tapeworms, scorpions, spiders, all swimming in some kind of clear, lightly yellow shining liquid. She felt sick. Yes, she knew her ex father in law was a scientist, but this… she'd never seen _this_. This is how she'd imagined Frankenstein's office to look like and was the complete opposite of the office he kept upstairs.

It took her a lot of willpower to tear her eyes away from the wall with the jars as she made her way over to the chair upon which a large cardboard box was resting, along with a file that wouldn't have caught her attention if it hadn't been for the name written upon it in bold dark letters. _Mills, R_. Regina. Emma picked up the file, her fingers tracing the cover, as she got distracted from a hissing sound right in front of her. The box. Something was inside the box and she knew she shouldn't, knew she should step away and wait for Gold, but she'd always been too curious for her own good, so she pushed open the lid of the box. Curiosity killed the cat they say and had a cane not caught the snake the moment she stumbled backward with a yelp as it lashed at her, she was sure she could be dead by now. The floor was cold and her wrists hurt from catching her fall. Nonetheless, she watched fascinatingly as the snake would itself around Gold's outstretched cane and he carefully guided it back into the box, while picking up the box's lid from the ground Emma had dropped it on.

The woman herself was panting, taking a few moments to collect herself before she was able to pick herself up from the floor and straighten her dress. Gold stared at her with an incomprehensible look, a small smirk forming on his lips. "Miss Swan, what an unexpected guest to find down here at my office. It's been a while. I see you've gotten yourself acquainted with our lovely python reticulatus. Quite the exemplum, if you ask me - and hungry, very hungry."

She was about to ask why the hell he would keep a dangerous reptile like this in his office, but he was _Gold_ of all people and she knew better than to try and make sense of him. It was information she could use - later. This was about Henry; a thought that gave her new strength.

"We need to talk."

"Belle informed me about your… _request_. But first hand me that file please. I think whatever is in there is none of your concern." He held out his hand, the demanding undertone in his voice leaving no room for her to decline him the file. Emma wondered what was going on, why that file had lain right on top of the box, but then, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Henry had told her about Regina being missing. Even if she'd never talked to the woman, she knew Henry was somewhat friends with her, thought of her as some princess from his book that needed saving and told her stories about how she wasn't supposed to be in here. But then again, Henry himself wasn't supposed to be in here either if she had any other choice. She didn't though.

Handing Dr. Gold the file, she searched for his eyes, green with a sprinkle of gold that had always reminded her a bit of a crocodile. "I want to see my son."

"From what I've been informed of, you've already seen him, Miss Swan. Visitation schedule is clear -"

"Fuck the visitation schedule!" Emma cut him off, her brows furrowed in anger. She'd never been one to hold back, not when things concerned her son. "Henry had an attack last week Sunday and _nobody_ contacted me, _nobody_ told me. They kept him in the hospital wing until today according to your instructions, even though he'd been better for days!"

"Why did you come down here, Miss Swan? Surely not to discuss your son's medical condition, something you know nothing about."

"I want to see him. I want to see him for more than three hours every Sunday. And I want to be informed if something happens to him. I want to be able to be there for him. He needs me, I'm his mother!"

"And that justifies your demand for an extended visitation schedule how exactly?"

Strangle, she wanted to strangle him until those crazy eyes would start popping out of his head. Her hands balled into fists, she pondered what to do and he had her, Gold knew she had nothing on him… But then again, she does. She has _everything_ on him, she…

"Before you say what you're about to say, _think_. Think exactly how you phrase your next few sentences, otherwise I'll have to talk to Mother Superior about Henry's special treatment."

"You wouldn't dare," she whispered, but then again yes, he would. "He's your _grandson_!"

"Which is exactly the reason why he is capable of receiving the medical attention he deserves. Or do I have to remind you that without me you wouldn't be able to afford all this here?"

"Well he is not getting any better, is he?!" Emma shot back and for the first time since she's seen him today, there was actual concern crossing his features. It was more than confirmation for Emma, something that she would have to think about later, not now. For some reason it gave her the needed strength to fight. "You have made me help you multiple ways in the past, you have made me do things for you I am _not_ proud of, but I remember, Gold. I remember every single person I helped you put in here and I remember _exactly_ how they ended up in here."

"Are you threatening me, Miss Swan?" He knew. He knew, but it was too late to back off now that she'd laid down her cards. She could only hope that his hand wasn't better than hers.

"It's a reminder. Make of it what you will." And here went nothing. "I want two hours on Saturday evening and the full Sunday afternoon from lunch until dinner." 

"Do you have any idea what you're requesting here? You can't just make up the rules to your liking. Not without the consequences."

She took a deep breath, unclenched her fists and it took all the power she had not to wince at the marks her fingernails were leaving behind on her skin. "What do you want? Name your price. There's always a price with you."

He was smirking now, that damn smirk that made her skin crawl and her stomach churn. "Give me everything you can find on Robin Locksley and I will talk to Mother Superior about your request."

Emma was surprised to hear Robin's name of all names fall, wondered why Gold was interested in the man who apparently had only been here for about a week, but she didn't question her father in law's requests, not when something as precious as time with her son was on the line.

"I want a guarantee."

"There are no guarantees in life, Miss Swan. _Mors sola repromittit._ I'll talk to Mother Superior and will let you know the next time you're here - if you fulfill my request that is." She almost snorted at the word request and simply rolled her eyes at that but she knew when it was time to leave the battlefield. There was not much more she would get out of him today.

"I would say it was a pleasure talking to you, but we both know that is not true. Taurus will escort you out." The office's door was opened the moment he said it, revealing a tall, muscular but very grimly looking man behind it. Emma sighed and nodded at Gold, a silent understanding passing between the two of them as she followed the assistant out. The last thing she saw was how he put Regina's file back onto the box with the snake inside, picked it up and left his office right after them. She turned around again, almost bumping into Taurus who gave her an annoying look.

"Gold."

"Yes, Dearie?"

"Are you going to hurt her with that?"

A smile crept up on his face once again, making her shudder and was all she needed as an answer. He turned around humming Beethoven's final movement of his Ninths Symphony. It was a melody Emma wouldn't be able to get out of her head until she'd left the premises of Mist Haven and started her long hike down to the village.

Xxxxx

After Emma and Belle left, Robin tried to comfort a very upset Henry, but even the promise of a visit to Granny's kitchen left him unimpressed and sulking. It wasn’t like he didn't understand the boy, on the contrary, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Something he'd learned in the first week ever since he came here was the fact that rules were rules in Mist Haven and that a breaking of the rules resulted in some sort of punishment. It wasn't so much different from prison. Less violent and scary maybe, but then again he'd known who he could trust in Nottingham. People in here were more of a mystery than ever.

Robin escorted Henry back up to the hospital wing, a fact that made the young boy even more upset as he settled back into his bed, a big crocodile tear rolling down his face.

"Do you want me to read you a story from your book?"

Henry shook his head, pulling the blanket closer around his body. It was still early, not even quarter past five and there was still supper. He didn't really know what to do with the boy, knew he'd have to cheer him up somehow. So it was a blessing when Belle entered the hospital wing through the heavy wooden doors, a sweet smile on her face. "I have good news for you Henry."

"Is my Mom coming back?" A spark of hope glimmered up in his eyes, but the answer was clear to Robin the moment Belle's smile faltered.

"No, Henry, I'm sorry. _But_ ," she answered quickly in order to get the boy's attention back, "I talked to Dr. Hopper and you're free to move back to your room after supper. How's that?" It was a small victory, Robin saw that and Henry was a clever boy. He didn't look happy, not at all, but he forced himself to look up at Belle and tell her a short 'okay'.

It was then that she turned over to Robin. "Thank you for your help today. I'll take over from here."

The clear dismissal of Belle left him speechless for a moment. She'd never been one to treat him rudely or with hostility, this was unusual. Since Henry didn't seem to mind, well, at least he didn't object to him leaving, he ruffled the boy's hair and told him he'd check up on him tomorrow morning in the dining hall before he left him and Belle alone in the room.

As he made his way up to the East tower where his chambers were located, Robin was surprised to find Killian coming down his way, all dressed up and not in any way in work attire. The dark haired man raised an eyebrow, a sudden gleaming smile covering his face.

"Ah mate, there you are. Been lookin' all over the place for you."

Well that was news. "I've been with Henry and his mother."

"The blonde lass? Yeah, I've seen her around. Comes every weekend to visit the little lad. Is he doin' better?"

"They'll release him back to his room after supper. Now where are you headed, all dressed up?"

Killian smirked, straightening his leather jacket before he leaned against the stone of the spiral staircase with one shoulder, looking all cool and mischievous. "It's Sunday, mate. Our day off. I thought we'd go to the pub and have a drink or two before the gates close."

Robin gaped at him skeptically. For one, he'd completely forgotten about Sundays being his day off - but then again, it made sense for them to have the seventh day of the week off when he remembered the passage of the bible correctly - and for the other he didn't think they were actually allowed to leave. His friend must have seen the thought cross his mind as he chuckled.

"It's an asylum, Robin, not a prison. Of course we're allowed to leave." He was right, Killian was right. And after his first week in here, after all the things that happened and him coming here basically the moment he stepped foot out of prison, he thought he deserved a night of rum and fun and useless chatter.

"Count me in."

"Then go change into one of your nicer shirts mate so we can get rolling. Gates close for us at nine after evening mass." Robin was about to say something, but Killian shooed him off, telling him to 'move it'. So that was what he did. He hurried up the stairs, pulling his shirt over his head while walking and almost stumbled over the last step when he wasn't able to see for a moment. To his surprise, he found David sitting on his bed, twirling a daisy between his thumb and forefinger, obviously engrossed in thought which was disturbed by Robin's sudden presence in the room.

"Joining Killian?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah. Want to come?" After the attempt this morning, this seemed to be the first conversation they had ever since their fight about a week ago about Regina. Robin wondered if Killian hadn't invited their roommate, but David's response was just a headshake.

"I'm not much for going out and have a drink. We have a lot of work ahead of us in the rose gardens for the next few weeks. I want to call it a night early and catch as much sleep as possible. Thanks though."

He eyed his colleague for a moment, wondering if he was speaking the truth, but then again, David didn't owe him anything. If he wanted to stay then he wouldn't pester him. Instead, he reached inside the chest in front of his bed and pulled out one of the few decent not work related shirts he owned and pulled it over his head. A quick look into the mirror, a quick adjustment of his hair and he was good to go.

Killian was waiting for him at the end of the stairs and together they made their way down the hallway to the entrance hall where they checked out by entering their names and destination into a small leather bound book. It felt a bit weird to sign out this way, but then Killian explained to him that it was necessary in case something happened. "They know exactly who's in and out and then know who to look for in case of emergency or in case they need someone to run an errand. Now let's go, mate, the walk down to the village is about an hour!"

So they went down the long driveway of the convent and then the street that lead all the way toward the village. It was his first walk in freedom, Robin thought as he took in the darkening sky, which tinted the landscape a beautiful orange red. Since it was spring, the trees had yet to grow out there leaves, but there were a few evergreens as well as early bloomers. Killian kept babbling something about the rum at the local pub, how the innkeeper sold him a bottle from time to time and how he always had a hard time smuggling it into the asylum in order to fill up his flask without one of the nuns noticing. Greena, or Tink, how almost everyone called her thanks to Henry, had apparently caught up on him and now it was more of a game between the two of them other than anything else.

The thirst for alcohol must have quickened Killian's pace, since they made it into the village the moment the church's clock tower hit six o'clock. It was almost dark now, much to Robin's disappointment. He would have loved to see the village of Storyborough at daylight, but it seemed there was not much he could do now. As Killian headed straight for the inn called 'Rabbit Hole', telling him he'd save them a seat at the bar, Robin stopped on the small fountain at the market place. Peddlers were packing up the last remains of the Sunday's market. The place was now lit with gas lanterns that dipped the grey-brownish stone into an orange light, throwing shadows all over the place. People were hurrying across him, eyeing him curiously, something that didn't surprise him at all. In such a small town, every new face caught attention easily, especially when everyone saw him arrive with Killian.

Storyborough, as far as he could judge from having been here for a good ten minutes, was a small but odd little place. Maybe it was different in the daylight and maybe he should take the time next Sunday to explore the town a little, to get himself acquainted with a few characters and find out more about Mist Haven. Small towns like this enjoyed gossip. And what was a better thing to gossip about than an asylum full of crazy lunatics on the outskirts of the town? Robin continued to walk around for a while, stopping at several windows of the shops around - the bakery, the butcher and a toy store with hand carved wooden toys by someone named "Gepetto". Whoever the man was, he seemed talented and very precise in his work.

He was just about to make his way into the inn, when a tuft of blonde hair caught his eyes. If he wasn't wrong, none other than Emma Swan, Henry's mother was making her way across the market place, a grim expression on her face. Whatever had happened between her and Dr. Gold couldn't have been pleasant.

Robin debated what he should do for a moment before he decided to make his way over to her, which was easier said than done. She was fast, easily made her way though the bulk of people, probably a skill she’d developed by living in London, but eventually, he caught up with her.

"Emma!"

The blonde turned around, a clear expression of surprise on her face combined with something Robin couldn't quite make out. She stopped and pulled him aside next to the wall of a building to let a peddler with his cart pass. "Robin. What are you doing here?"

"Killian convinced me to come and have a drink with him at the 'Rabbit Hole'. You look like you could use one, too." It was a long shot if he'd ever made one. Actually, no, she didn't look like she needed a drink, well, maybe, but she was a _woman_ and this was a small village. Was she even allowed to go inside? Most pubs required women to be accompanied by men and a single working mom with a son in the asylum, well; it would definitely be frowned upon. Maybe it was different in London, but this was as rural as it could get. Then again, he'd spent several years in prison and apart from a newspaper from time to time, he hadn't exactly been well informed of what was going on in the outside world.

Emma stared at him, obviously caught off guard with his proposal, and seemed to estimate the pros and cons before throwing caution into the wind. "A drink sounds good actually."

She smiled as he waved his hand in order to tell her to go ahead. They made their way across the market place toward the Rabbit Hole, Robin holding the door open for her as she went inside. Laughter and the buzzing of conversation greeted them mixed with the smell of beer, roasted pig and men. Even though a few eyes and heads turned curiously their way, more his than Emma's he realized, Robin tried to avoid the looks and tried to ignore remarks that were obviously pointed at him as they made their way over to the bar where Killian was sitting. His colleague was already good in the game, having just finished a jar of beer when the bartender provided him with another.

"There ye are, mate!" His thick Irish accent more pronounced than ever. "And ye've gotten yerself a lassie!"

"Killian, this is Emma Swan. Henry's mother. Emma, this is Killian, he…"

"I know who he is," Emma cut him off, eyeing the dark haired man in front of her with obvious displeasure. Her head turned toward the door, clearly debating whether coming here had been such a good idea after all. Robin took two beers from the bartender and handed her one, trying to get her attention back.

"Do you want to sit down over there?" He pointed at a table that had just been cleared and Emma nodded, thankful to get away from the bar. Robin made a mental note to ask Killian later on what had happened between the two of them. Emma didn't seem so fond of his friend and he wondered why that was. Maybe Killian was a bit more forthcoming with information when drunk. Once again a few pairs of eyes followed them as they sat down at the table in the corner of the pub, which shielded them a bit from the crowd.

"Henry is being moved back to his room tonight after dinner," Robin stated, thinking of her son as being a probably safe topic for the woman. Emma looked up, a small smile spreading on her face at the news.

"That's good. They've kept him in the wing for far too long. Was he… was he very upset when I left?" He didn't even have to answer; apparently the look he gave her said it all. The blonde let out a deep sigh, taking a sip of her beer. "I'm… I'm working on it."

"You've talked to Gold?" Darkness crossed her features and he could see she was clearly conflicted about something. "Are you okay, Emma?"

"It's… difficult. Nothing I really want to discuss with a stranger on our first meeting."

"Technically it's the second one." Robin waited as she chuckled into her beer, clearly enjoying his humor.

"True. And I guess I owe you a part of the truth before you hear it from anyone else."

"You don't owe me anything, Emma. But you look like the weight of the world is resting on your shoulders and it shouldn't. That's not something you deserve."

She let out a laugh, clearly diminishing his comment. "You don't know what I deserve, Robin, because you don't know _me._ What I know, is that _Henry_ doesn't deserve what he's going through and I wish I could change something, but I can't. If it weren't for Gold…"

The blonde bit her lip, staring intently into the now foamless beer in front of her. A few tiny bubbles were rising up, bursting at the surface, vanishing into nothingness. She didn't trust people easily. Emma Swan was a very cautious and careful person when it came to opening up to strangers. She didn't know Robin - would probably know everything about him by next week when she assembled the file for Gold - but right now she could only trust him because Henry did. And she wanted to trust her son, but then again, he was a child. Henry had no idea what was really going on in Mist Haven and for her dear life she hoped he never would. Seeing the blonde woman who'd almost bitten that man's head off, as well as Regina's file on the box with a python snake for god's sake, had been shock enough for one day. It had been her first time down in the what still reminded her of dungeons and if she was honest with herself, she didn't ever want to set a foot back down there.

"I've only met the man once and that was when Haggard, him and two of his assistants stormed the dining hall during supper and dragged that poor Regina woman out of there while almost killing Graham." She looked up at the mention of Graham. "What do you owe him, Emma? He clearly holds something against you." Robin raised an eyebrow, curious but also concerned. For the fact he'd only been in Mist Haven for about a week he'd already witnessed a lot.

 "He holds something against everyone. That's why he gets away with everything. Dr. Gold, he… he is Henry's grandfather."

Well that was… more than unexpected. Robin gaped at her, his face more than surprised and mouth dropped open. "He… Gold is… Woah."

"I would appreciate it if you could keep that little piece of information to yourself. I don't need people to start questioning me or my son or the treatment he receives. Because that's why Henry is in there, why I can even afford to leave my son in the asylum. Gold pays for his medical treatment." And she… well, she provided him with information on people to become his new guinea pigs with Robin - hopefully not any time soon - having caught his interest.

"And how do you pay Gold?"

"Excuse me?!"

Robin raised a hand in apology. He'd clearly gone too far. "I mean, this man doesn't look like someone who would do things without expecting anything back. Not even for his grandson. I'm sorry if I've overstepped the boundaries."

"You have. And what I do for Gold is none of your damn business. Everything I do, I do for my son." Emma was defensive now and he wanted to bite his tongue for his careless slip before.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be." She spat, setting her beer down before reaching for her scarf and jacket. "Thanks for the beer. I have to go." With an aura of annoyance and anger, Emma slipped out of her chair, buttoning up her jacket on the way to the door. Robin wanted to call after her, but the way their conversation had ended, her basically screaming at him, had drawn enough attention from the people in the pub who'd stopped their conversations in order to listen in.

He angrily gulped his beer down, setting the jar back onto the wooden table with a loud 'clonk'.

"That doesn't look like it went as planned," Killian sassed the moment he looked up to find the man sliding onto the chair Emma had been sitting on before, pushing a fresh jar of beer toward him. "She's a piece of work."

"It was my fault. I pushed her buttons too hard. It's been a while since I had the pleasure of interacting with the other sex. Kind of hard to come by in prison." It wasn't meant as a joke, but Killian laughed anyway. He was way too drunk to understand the seriousness of the situation. He hadn't wanted to upset Emma, really. She'd been more than nice to him, thankful, even though they'd just met. But he knew he owed her an apology. Robin himself wasn't fond about sharing too much of his past, of the secrets he kept hidden from everyone and it had been her right to leave after his blunt comment. Damn it.

"It's not your fault, mate. She's been through a lot. And with the lad staying in the asylum, I can't believe her life's gotten any easier after she lost her husband."

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, what he intended to ask now was totally wrong and unfair but he'd always been too curious for his own good and Killian _liked_ to gossip, his tongue a loose tool, especially when drunk. "What do you know?"

Killian smirked before taking a long sip from his beer. There was a glint in his eyes, a twinkle he always got when he was about to share one of his _stories_. "It's a lot of speculation…"

"Stick to what you know is the truth, _mate_." There was a short moment of silence between them with Killian raising a daring eyebrow before he cleared his throat.

"Fine. I've heard a few things from valid sources over the years. From Belle, David, Granny, a few things even from the lad himself. Things between her and me are… rocky at best if I might say. But none about that now. She grew up in an orphanage, had been a bit delinquent before she met Henry's father, but they got their shit together after a break-in went wrong. I don't really know what happened after, only that they both started working for a PI. A couple of years later they had Henry who'd been only a few years old when Neal - his father - started having attacks similar to the ones he's suffering from. He was admitted to Mist Haven - long before my time - but he managed to break out for whatever reason. When Emma came home that same day with the kid, she found him in the living room with a gun pointed at his head. From what I heard, it wasn't pretty. They suspected Emma to have killed him in the beginning, put the lad into an orphanage while she was on trial."

Killian took a sip of beer to let the story settle while Robin's mind jumped from one scenario to the other. So Neal, Henry's father had been admitted to Mist Haven. That was more than interesting, especially knowing that Gold worked there.

"What about Neal's family? Are they not able to support Emma and Henry?"

"She's alone, man. It's just her and Henry as far as I know… And I hope the treatments will help him because she's already lost his father." So he didn't know. Interesting. Robin nodded at that, directing the topic away from Emma toward a bit lighter matters such as the taste of the beer and the fact how Killian was going to smuggle _two_ bottles of rum into Mist Haven without anyone noticing. Time went by fast and sooner rather than later, he was dragging a fairly drunk Killian all the way back toward Mist Haven on a pitch black road with nothing but the moonlight to guide them.

Xxxxx

_She's just picked Henry up from Mrs. Holle, a sweet old lady living down the road who's volunteered to watch her son while she's working at Mr. Booth's office during the day. He's happy, babbling about helping her make 'snow' (they baked little taler of sweet meringue) and how much he likes Mrs. Holle's niece Ms. Marie who read him a story. Emma laughs, nuzzles his nose with hers, which makes him giggle. They arrive at her tiny one bedroom apartment above the barbershop, which might be small, but it's affordable, cozy and simply… home. But something isn't right, something feels wrong and Emma knows it is when she sees the door being just ajar. She's locked it this morning, has checked twice - always does - so someone has either broken in or is still in there._

_"What's wrong, Mommy?" Her eyes wander toward Henry, who's rested his head onto her shoulder looking up at her with curious eyes. Taking a deep breath, she sets her son down next to the door, putting the small bag of meringue candy into his hand._

_"I need you to watch this for a moment, while I go inside to check something. Can you do that for me?"_

_The little child eyes the bag with the candy, nodding eagerly. "I'll watch it, Mommy."_

_Emma knows he's going to sneak in a taler or two, but she's okay with that. Ruffling his hair, she carefully pushes the front door open, flinching as it squeaks. Damn the door and the barber for not oiling the hinges. For a moment she hesitates but then draws the small revolver from her purse, a gift from Mr. Booth after the_ incident _._

_The light in the kitchen is switched on and someone is sitting at the table reading a newspaper. It's held up high, making it impossible to see who is sitting behind it. As if on cue, the person puts away the newspaper, knocking all the air out of her lungs._

_"Emma." The revolver drops onto the floor. Damn, she should be more careful with that, the thing is dangerous, but she can't think about that right now._

_"Neal?!" He jumps up, smiles and all and crushes into her, holding her tight and close to his body while peppering her face with kisses. So long, it's been so long. Ninety-three days to be exact, because he doesn't want her to visit him in the asylum, not with Henry anyway. He looks thinner than the last time she's seen him, eyes a little red and shallow, his scruff more outgrown than ever. But it's him, it's really him. Overwhelming emotion makes tears stream down her cheeks, which he wipes away with his thumb. The touch, the sensation. She just has to reassure herself. "Are you real?"_

_Neal chuckles. "Of course I'm real, my love. God, I've been waiting all day for you." He presses another kiss to her face, then leaning a little back looking around. "Where's Henry?"_

_"Outside. I… I thought you were an intruder. What happened, why are you here?"_

_"Would you believe it if I said I missed you?" The honest smile he gives her makes her tremble._

_"I missed you, too," she whispers before capturing his lips with hers. Good, it feels so good to be kissing him, it feels like coming home. Tender and sweet and so full of longing. Her hands fist into his shirt, pulling him as close as possible with the intention of never letting go._

_Neal makes a noise, the one she loves, the one that makes her want to rip his clothes off here and now because god, she's_ missed _him so much, but she remembers Henry still waiting outside, his belly probably now filled with the rest of the meringue talers. So before things can get too heated she breaks the kiss, panting for air._

_"I'll go and get the kid before he gets a tummy ache from eating all the snow candy."_

_"Sounds like my son."_

_"He is." She grins at him, pressing one last quick kiss onto his lips before she goes back outside to find her son clutching the bag of candy, the white dust on the corners of his mouth evident. A raised eyebrow from his mother makes him confess immediately._

_"I only ate two, I promise."_

_"That's okay, kid. Come on, let's go inside. I have a surprise guest for you." Her heart jumps a little at the prospect of the father-son-reunion._

_"Who?" The little boy asks curiously while handing his mother the bag of candy. Emma just laughs, lifting him up onto her hip before carrying him inside. Henry's excited now, squirming in her arms to be let down but when she enters the kitchen with him, he stills. "Daddy?"_

_The moment she sees her husband kneeling on the ground, holding his head with his hands ripping at his hair, Emma feels like all air is knocked out of her body. No. No, no, no, it's happening again, just like last time and oh God, what can she do? She almost drops Henry, who clutches her tightly now, the fact his father is down there on the ground obviously scaring him. "Mommy…"_

_"Neal? Neal, are you okay?"_

_Neal rolls forward, groans and tries to breathe through it, tries to look up at his son and his love who he's missed so much in the last couple of months, but he can't. He's fighting it, he's fighting the darkness that reaches for him with unforgiving fingers and fighting the voice in his head._

_"Leave me alone!" he yells, his pupils all dilated. "I won't listen to you, I am not turning into you!"_

_"Neal…" Emma wants to reach out to him but Henry's buried his face in her shoulder now, clutching the sleeves of her dress so tight she winces at the pain. "Neal, please stop… Look at me."_

_She closes her eyes as he lets out a piercing scream, banging his head against the tiles on the floor, unable to look at him hurting himself._

_"Get out! Get out, get out, get out!"_

_"Neal, stop it! Please. Please stop." Emma kneels down with a now-crying Henry pressed close against her chest. With one free hand she is trying to reach for her husband but he scoots away as if he is scared of her touch._

_"No! He's inside of me, Emma. He's in my head, I can hear him, I can hear his voice and I want it to stop!" Tears are streaming down his face and she's never seen him so broken, so helpless like in this moment. "Please make it stop."_

_Both father and son are sobbing now."I'm here, Neal. I'm here and I'm real. Focus on what's real. Me. Henry."_

_She holds out a hand toward him, which for a moment he seems to consider taking when an attack of spasms hits his body, followed by heart wrenching screaming. Even though she doesn't want to, she's crying now as well, feeling overwhelmed and helpless in this situation. Emma knows there's nothing she can do, all she can do is talk to him - it has helped before - but this attack feels different. It has never taken so long for him to regain control and the way he's rolling around the kitchen floor now, continuously banging his head against the tiles to get the 'voices' out makes her feel powerless._

_She wants to help him, but she has to protect her son as well. Henry, who's crying in her arms, obviously scared of his father._

_"Leave me alone! I don't want you inside my head. Leave! Leave me alone. Emma… please make it stop." Neal's voice is heartbreaking._

_"How? Tell me how. I'll do anything. Please let me help you, Neal…"_

_"Kill me."_

_"What?!"_

_"Please, I can't turn into him. Emma, I can't. I will hurt you if I do, I will hurt Henry, just like he hurt me. Don't let me become my father. He's telling me to do things, he's in my head, he's controlling me, he…" His teary eyes are pleading with her and now she realizes what he's talking about. She knew what his father had done to him, knew what had happened in the past._

_"You're nothing like your father. You're you. You'll never become him. You have me, you have Henry, you…"_

_"Kill me!" He's yelling at her, clearly distressed, his changes of mood - from pain, to pleading, to anger - leaving her scared of him. "Now!"_

_"No," is all she manages to whisper, clutching Henry tightly against her chest and hoping whatever is happening to him will stop. He's not himself, it's like he's another person._

_His eyes narrow down on her and then Henry. "Then I'm sorry."_

_Everything happens too fast. He reaches for the colt she's dropped earlier, takes the barrel into his mouth and pulls the trigger. The shot that falls is ear piercing and then there is only silence left. Silence and blood, so much blood behind him on the wall and the chair and the table and the tiles. His limp body slowly falls to the side, eyes wide open._

Emma woke with a gasp, her body bathed in sweat. Her room was dark, with only the moonlight shining through the curtains. It had been a while since she last dreamed of that fateful night but she'd figured that all the events of the past day would catch up with her eventually. Swallowing down the lump in her throat she curled herself around her pillow, eyes wide open. There was no way she would catch any more sleep tonight.

 

 


End file.
